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Sudan evacuation: Serbian families, Indonesian nannies thank UAE for safe passage
Stranded nationals recall horrifying experiences in conflict-stricken country
KT photos by Neeraj Murali
Two Serbian families and a group of six Indonesian nannies were among those who were safely evacuated to the UAE from Sudan.
The Serbian families are back in Belgrade while the Indonesians have chosen to continue working for their Sudanese employers in Dubai. They told Khaleej Times they were lucky to be on the humanitarian flight out of the conflict-stricken African state over the weekend as thousands of Sudanese and other nationalities have been trying to exit the country daily.
They are also thankful to the UAE government for facilitating their safe passage from Khartoum to Port Sudan, where they stayed for a couple of days being flown to safety in Abu Dhabi.
Serbian national Damir and his wife, Nagham, recalled how they survived the highly dangerous exodus with their two young children, five-year old Hamza and 18-month old Mira.
“We packed lightly and moved only during the day. We drove our own car from Khartoum to Atbara then joined the bus convoy to Port Sudan. We never took out our phones and carefully hid the few pieces of jewellery we were able to bring because we heard armed men sequestered anything valuable from the evacuees,” Damir said.
“Destruction was everywhere. Bombings and fierce gun battles on the streets have laid waste many residential and commercial buildings, the couple noted, adding: “Essential supplies like water, food and medicine all ran out.”
Stranded indoors
Serbian siblings Ayman and Khaled Salah, for their part, said they were only able to survive the intense fighting by staying indoors when violent skirmishes erupted on April 15 between the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and his number two Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“We were actually not able to sleep at night with the continuous firing of assault rifles and launching of rockets,” Ayman said, adding: “Fighting did not stop even during Eid and what was supposed to be a happy celebration turned into nightmare.”
Ayman and Khaled, who arrived in Abu Dhabi with their mother Sylvia, were only able to bring a few essential items, including their laptops. They were able to escape Khartoum by travelling intermittently for 32 hours from the capital – which is ground zero for heavy fighting – to relatively secure Port Sudan, which became the exit point for evacuees.
“We are in deep gratitude to the UAE for facilitating our evacuation and for their warm hospitality,” Ayman and Khaled told Khaleej Times.
Dr Danica Savocic, chargé d'affaires at the Serbian Embassy, also thanked the UAE for evacuating the two Serbian families.
She said: “On behalf of our President, Aleksandar Vučić, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić, I would like to thank the UAE leaders for their humanitarian efforts and for providing our citizens safe travel and accommodation. This is a strong indication of the strong bilateral relationship between the UAE and Serbia.”
‘Safe in the UAE’
Meanwhile, the six Indonesian nannies who were also evacuated from Sudan said they now feel relieved that fighting and violence are now behind them. They witnessed how the homes of their employers were ransacked by the militias.
“The entire household, including our employers, the elderly, women, children and babies were kicked out of the house. We hurriedly left to avoid being harmed and went out while heavy bombardment continued and fighters roamed the streets,” the Indonesian domestic workers shared.
“Thankfully no one was harmed and we are now all safe in the UAE,” they added.
Sincere gratitude and appreciation
Zaenal Abidin, chargé d'affaires at the Indonesian Embassy, was among the diplomats who welcomed the evacuees on the tarmac of Abu Dhabi International Airport on April 29.
He said: “On behalf of the government of the Republic of Indonesia, the embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Abu Dhabi, expresses its sincere gratitude and appreciation to the UAE government for the humanitarian assistance in evacuating six Indonesians out of Sudan. The evacuation of Indonesian citizens is one proof of the close cooperation between the UAE and Indonesia."
Abidin added: “Currently, the rescued six Indonesian ladies have continued working for their Sudanese employers in Dubai.”
The Indonesian government has evacuated a total of 748 citizens since April 25 using ships from Port Sudan with support from Saudi Arabia and aircraft operated by Indonesian Air Force. They were all flown back to Indonesia via chartered flights from Jeddah to Jakarta.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
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