The Department of Foreign Affairs said Sunday less than 100 Filipinos decided to stay in Sudan despite the ongoing clashes between the Sudanese military and a paramilitary group.
DFA Assistant Secretary Paul Cortes stressed the Filipinos who opted to stay in Sudan did so because of their families and other work commitments.
Nonetheless, the DFA official gave assurances the Philippine government would assist them should they decide to be repatriated.
“Our honorary consulate is still there.
The only way for us to know where they are, would be if they communicate with our honorary consulate and, of course, with the Embassy in Cairo,” Cortes said.
“This is the way for us to know if they have money, how they are, if they are injured, or if they want to evacuate. If and when they decide to really evacuate or if their employers will evacuate… at least we know where they are,” he added.
The first batch of evacuees from Sudan consisted of 17 Filipinos arrived in Manila on Saturday.
There were also 340 Filipinos who had made it to Egypt after escaping from the violence in Sudan, according to the DFA on Saturday.
There were also 100 more Filipinos who have yet to travel from Khartoum to the border, while 14 others were waiting to cross the border into Egypt, she added.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega earlier said there could be around 700 Filipinos in Sudan, most of them undocumented.
In related developments:
–Sen. Grace Poe expressed hope that support systems are in place to assist returning Filipinos from Sudan.
She said Filipino displaced workers from Sudan should find alternative jobs or livelihood in the Philippines or undergo skills retooling or training if they wish to.
While jobs are important, she emphasized there’s no replacement for life and safety.
She commended the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers for acting quickly and working tirelessly in facilitating the passage of our OFWs to secure borders on their way home.
“We trust that the government will continue to undertake all efforts to bring Filipinos to safety,” she said.
— Some Filipinos who got home from Sudan on Saturday night recalled one of the most challenging periods of their lives, with chaos still engulfing the nation.
Irene Toralba, a 26-year-old chef and among the nine Filipino workers who arrived in the country on Saturday night, illustrated the dire situation in Sudan, saying it reached a point when they were forced to stay underground and sometimes she was hiding inside a cabinet for her safety.
Ronald Andal, 48, lived in Sudan for 14 years and worked as an operator in a printing press.
Andal’s situation was almost similar to Torralba’s, lamenting how the fighting between warring generals in Sudan affected civilians like them.
Lst Friday, Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega told a public briefing the lack of travel documents from Filipinos also delayed their entry to Egypt, where the country’s embassy is.
The agency expects 40 people arriving on May 2, officials said, adding 610 Filipinos have so far been evacuated.
Migrant Workers Assistant Secretary Vennie Legaspi said they distributed emergency kits that have toiletries and basic necessities, as well as financial assistance, to returning Filipinos from Sudan.
Fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan’s army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary RSF commanded by his deputy-turned-rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Hospitals have been shelled and more than two-thirds are out of service, the doctors’ union said, reporting at least eight civilians killed in Khartoum alone on Wednesday.
The World Food Program has said the violence could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 15 million people — one-third of the population — need aid.
The violence has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe food, water, and electricity shortages. With a report from Agence France-Presse
