The Indonesian citizens who are evacuated from Sudan due to armed conflicts consist of 248 women, 137 men and 43 children.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia’s flag carrier Garuda Indonesia carrying 385 Indonesian citizens who are evacuated from Sudan due to armed conflicts landed in Indonesia on Friday (April 28) at around 5.46 a.m. local time.

The Indonesian citizens who were evacuated from Sudan due to armed conflicts consist of 248 women, 137 men and 43 children, according to the Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat in a written statement quoted by Indonesia Window on Friday.

This is the first arrival of the Indonesian evacuees in the country via Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi, said in a statement on April 28, 2023.

Considering that the evacuees' journey is very long and tiring, upon arrival in Jakarta they will be temporarily housed at the Pondok Gede hajj dormitory in East Jakarta before being sent back to their respective places of origin in the country.

The foreign minister said that related government officials, both in the central and regional administrations, have prepared a number of services for the Indonesian evacuees until they return to their respective places of origin.

"The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture and related ministries/agencies have prepared services including health checks and counseling services," the foreign minister said.

The Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the relevant regional administrations will facilitate the return to their respective places of origin, she added.

Retno likewise stated that the government would return the Indonesian citizens who were evacuated from Sudan to their country in three stages.

The second stage of efforts to return them will be carried out on April 29 and the third stage which will be the closing of the entire evacuation process will take place on April 30.

"As of now, only 111 Indonesian citizens are still in Port Sudan City. Today they will be flown to Jeddah on an Indonesian Air Force plane," she noted.

The minister explained that this time’s evacuation is carried out using a relay evacuation pattern, by road from Khartoum to Port Sudan, then from Port Sudan to Jeddah both by sea and by air, and then returned in stages to Indonesia.

This evacuation pattern is carried out in response to a very easy and dynamic field situation with the aim of immediately removing Indonesian citizens from dangerous conflict areas

“Alhamdulillah (Allah be praised), this pattern went smoothly and we even assisted several foreigners to participate in our evacuation," she said.

On this occasion, Retno expressed her gratitude and highest appreciation to the Indonesian Military, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Religion, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency and also related local administrations in Indonesia.

“We also express our thanks and appreciation to the authorities and other parties in Sudan, the Saudi government, and Indonesian representatives in Khartoum, Riyadh, Jeddah, Cairo and Adis Ababa," she said.

In a press statement after a closed meeting on Thursday (April 27) in Jakarta, the foreign minister said that the government has evacuated 897 Indonesian citizens from Khartoum City, Sudan.

The evacuation was divided into two stages, namely the first stage of 569 people and the second stage of 328 people.

Reporting by Indonesia Window