Kenyans trapped in Sudan are now in danger after the government closed its diplomatic post on Sunday, June 4. According to Foreign Affairs Senior Secretary Korir Sing’oei, the shutdown was forced by a resumption of conflict in war-torn Sudan that was targeting diplomatic missions.
The diplomatic mission had remained open to assist in the safe evacuation of Kenyans.
“We continue to receive disturbing news of the targeting of diplomatic officials by armed groups in Khartoum, Sudan.
“Kenya Mission in Khartoum, which had remained open to facilitate the evacuation of any Kenyans still in the country, is now closed,” the PS announced in a statement.
On Sunday, April 16, when the war was still in its early stages, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua disclosed that around 3,000 Kenyans were living in Sudan.
“I want to assure everyone that we have made arrangements with our national airline in case the situation in Sudan gets out of hand.
“We have a plane on standby for evacuation purposes if the fighting persists,” the CS stated then.
At the time, Mutua revealed that the government had made necessary plans to evacuate every Kenyan to safety.
To ensure everyone gets home safely, the government kept its diplomatic offices in Sudan open despite many countries closing down theirs.
Almost 900 Kenyans had been evacuated by the beginning of May 2023 in a multi-agency operation involving personnel from the Foreign Affairs and Defense ministries.
The government has yet to give a comment on the number of Kenyans currently living in Sudan and how they will be evacuated now that the operation has ended.
On Thursday, May 11, Sudan’s warring factions agreed to a cease-fire to allow for peace talks and humanitarian relief.
The truce was called off on Wednesday, May 31, after the army withdrew from the deal, accusing the paramilitary of breaching the agreement.
