On Monday night, a Kenya Airforce plane arrived in Nairobi carrying 39 evacuees from Sudan, including 19 Kenyans, 19 Somalis and one Saudi Arabian national.
The students had travelled by road to South Sudan before boarding the aircraft to Kenya. More evacuations are underway with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that three programs are currently active and estimated to evacuate over 300-400 Kenyans.
Defense Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale welcomed the students and encouraged more Kenyans stranded in Sudan to register with the State Department for Diaspora Affairs.
The ongoing violence in Sudan has prompted several countries to evacuate their citizens to neighboring countries.
Despite a 72-hour ceasefire taking effect at midnight on Monday, it is at least the third suspension of fighting since the violence erupted on April 15, and both sides in the conflict independently announced their involvement in the ceasefire.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned the violence in Sudan risks causing a “catastrophic conflagration” that could engulf the whole region and beyond.
