Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Switzerland shuts embassy in Sudan for security reasons

A drone view shows smoke rising over the Khartoum North Light Industrial Area, in Bahri, Sudan, April 23, 2023, in this still image taken from video obtained by Reuters. Video obtained by Reuters/ via REUTERS

Switzerland has closed its embassy in Khartoum and evacuated staff and their families over the security situation in Sudan, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Twitter.

"Our staff and their families have been evacuated and are safe," Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis tweeted late on Sunday.

The Foreign Ministry said seven embassy staff and five accompanying people had been evacuated. They were in good health, with two people on their way to neighbouring Ethiopia and the rest evacuated to Djibouti with help from France.

"The exercise was made possible thanks to collaboration with our partners, in particular France," Cassis said.

Work was continuing to help Swiss nationals stuck in Sudan. The Swiss foreign ministry on Friday there were about 100 Swiss nationals registered in Sudan while others are thought to be visiting the Red Sea area as tourists.

The eruption of fighting more than a week ago between rival military factions has triggered a humanitarian crisis, killed 420 people and trapped millions of Sudanese without access to basic services.

Thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers, have also been stranded and countries are working to evacuate their nationals.

France on Monday said it was continuing to evacuate people and has so far managed to evacuate 388 people.

A German air force plane with 101 people evacuated from Sudan landed in Berlin early on Monday while a shaky ceasefire held in the Sudanese capital.

(Reporting by John Revill and Miranda Murray; Editing by Rachel More and David Goodman)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.