The first batch of Filipinos evacuated from war-torn Sudan arrives in the Philippines on April 29, 2023. (Photo from DFA)
MANILA, Philippines — The first batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were rescued from Sudan have arrived in the Philippines on Saturday, said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Hundreds of Filipinos had been caught in a civil conflict between paramilitaries in Sudan, and the DFA and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) had been working to repatriate them since the fighting began.
DFA, DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) had “welcomed the first batch of 17 government-assisted Filipino evacuees from Sudan, who arrived in Manila this afternoon after flying out yesterday from Athens, Greece and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,” said the Foreign Affairs agency in a statement.
As I welcome the 1st batch of repatriates from Sudan, I’m inspired by their fortitude & resilience. I’m grateful to our DFA teams, PH agencies & intl partners who work nonstop to ensure the safety of our kababayans. Protecting overseas Filipinos is our government’s solemn pledge pic.twitter.com/ZH3SotPYI1
— Enrique A. Manalo 🇵🇭 (@SecManalo) April 29, 2023
Out of these 17, eight OFWs were hotel workers in Sudan who were evacuated by a Greek military evacuation flight upon the arrangement of the Philippine Embassy in Athens.
“The remaining nine overseas Filipinos, including one infant, fled Khartoum via Port Sudan where they boarded a C130 plane of the Saudi Royal Air Force bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah received the group on 27 April 2023, Thursday,” said the DFA.
According to the DFA’s latest report, 610 Filipinos have been evacuated from the besieged Khartoum. Among these, 391 crossed to the Egyptian border through the aid of the government.
In a separate statement from the Presidential Communications, the DMW Chief Susan Ople said that 340 more Filipinos are set to return in the Philippines in the coming days.
“The embassy and our DMW teams will make sure they will all be treated well onboard buses and in Cairo,” Ople said.