The Bundeswehr rescues Germans from Sudan: Conflicts exacerbate the situation drastically – will the evacuation succeed in time?
The Bundeswehr launched a rescue mission in Sudan on Sunday to evacuate German citizens. According to information from the German Press Agency, the Air Force used military transporters to get to the conflict-torn country.
According to the current status, it is all about the rescue of a low three-digit number of German citizens, but they are more than 150, as a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office explained on Friday. You contact people regularly, but the problems are increasing day by day. In the capital Khartoum, the supply situation has developed dramatically since the fighting began. There is a lack of water and food, and power cuts are increasingly impeding communication.
Bundeswehr mission in Sudan: heavy fighting
Heavy fighting broke out in Sudan a week ago between the country’s two most powerful generals and their units. The two men have led the country in northeast Africa with around 46 million inhabitants since two joint military coups in 2019 and 2021. De facto President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is also the commander-in-chief of the army, is fighting with the military against his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo , the leader of the powerful paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Actually, the RSF should have been subordinate to the army and power in the country should have been returned to a civilian government.
The airport in the capital Khartoum has been at the center of hostilities since the outbreak of violence. International diplomats have repeatedly tried to achieve a resilient ceasefire. On Wednesday, an attempt at a diplomatic evacuation using aircraft from the Air Force, but without any major deployment of soldiers, was canceled because the security situation in Khartoum was considered too dangerous. A crisis team meets daily in Berlin.
A few days ago, the Bundeswehr made preparations for a new attempt to evacuate German citizens and other people to be protected. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said on Friday in Berlin: “The focus is on protecting our citizens in Sudan.” He did not give details of the scope, personnel and material of possible evacuation forces.
Sudan: Reasons for the insecure situation in the country
Tensions in Sudan have been going on for years and are due to several factors:
- North-South conflict: Tensions have persisted since independence in 1956, leading to two civil wars and culminating in South Sudan’s independence in 2011.
- Darfur Conflict: A humanitarian crisis since 2003 caused by fighting between rebels, the government and pro-government militias.
- Political instability: Overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 and difficult political transition process.
- Economic problems: High inflation, unemployment, shortage of foreign exchange and high foreign debt.
- Ethnic and Religious Tensions: Variety of groups leading to conflict, particularly in Darfur and regions bordering South Sudan.
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