Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said that Ireland is working closely with European Union and other partners to prepare to evacuate more than 100 Irish citizens caught up in the civil war which has erupted in Sudan.
Mr Martin said Ireland had asked all Irish citizens living and working in Sudan to register with the Irish Embassy in Nairobi in Kenya and, to date, 105 people had registered though this could change given the number of Irish citizens with international aid organisations in Sudan.
He said the recent eruption of violence around Khartoum airport had made evacuating Irish citizens more difficult, but he said the Government was advising any Irish citizens in Sudan to remain indoors and observe local restrictions after they registered with the Irish embassy in Kenya.
“But, as with similar situations in the past, we work with international partners, we are continuously planning and we stand ready to do everything we possibly can to facilitate our citizens and make sure they are safe and, when the opportune time arises, to help to evacuate,” he said.
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Earlier this week, armed men wearing military fatigues “stormed” the residence of the Irish diplomat and EU ambassador to Sudan, Aidan O’Hara, who was assaulted but not seriously injured in the incident which was condemned by the European Commission.
A long-serving diplomat in the Department of Foreign Affairs before he became an EU ambassador, Mr O’Hara was assaulted in the incident on Monday, which was strongly condemned by the EU’s diplomatic service.
“As for what happened at the residence of the ambassador, some armed men wearing military fatigues stormed the residence, and robbed it – they did not identify themselves,” a European Commission spokesperson told journalists on Wednesday.
Mr Martin said Mr O’Hara was not seriously hurt and he was continuing to work in his post in Khartoum following the incident which chief EU diplomat Josep Borrell described as “a gross violation of the Vienna Convention”.
The conflict between rival military leaders, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemeti, which erupted last week has claimed more than 400 lives, and countries such as Japan and Germany have already begun preparations to evacuate their citizens.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar echoed Mr Martin’s comments, saying efforts to evacuate Irish citizens from Sudan were being co-ordinated by Mr Martin in his capacity as both Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence.
“I am not at liberty to say too much about it but we are aware that there are quite a number of Irish citizens in Sudan and we have a responsibility to our citizens around the world to ensure their safety as best we can. Some work has been done.”
