The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan, April 26, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan on Thursday, according to the Navy.
In a news release published on Thursday afternoon (Beijing time), the Navy said that 668 Chinese citizens and 10 foreign nationals have been relocated to Jeddah, a coastal city in Saudi Arabia, by two Chinese warships — CNS Nanning, a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, and CNS Weishan Lake, a Type 903 resupply ship.
According to the release, the two vessels with more than 490 sailors and special operations commandos on board are parts of the Navy's 43rd escort flotilla in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.
After taking orders from the Navy, the Nanning and Weishan Lake immediately sailed toward Port Sudan, the principal seaport of the African nation, at high speed and arrived in the port on Wednesday morning (local time).
Navy personnel soon established a security zone that had separate areas for grouping, registration, security check and boarding. Armed commandos stood on alert at the site.
The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan, April 26, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
A video clip from the Navy showed that sailors of the Weishan Lake put banners on the portside, and one of them read: "Our ships are moving territories of China, and you will be at home safe and sound as soon as you board them."
A Navy officer in the video said to evacuees that wherever they are, "the motherland will always protect you".
Footage in the video showed that the guns on the Weishan Lake were loaded with real ammunition.
On Wednesday afternoon, buses transporting the evacuees reached the port. Many of them were excited at the sight of the Chinese warships and troops and waved the Chinese national flag in their hand while some cried, according to the Navy.
The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan, April 26, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
On Thursday morning (local time), the two ships arrived in Jeddah and after the civilians left, they began to sail back to Port Sudan to retrieve the second group of evacuees, the Navy said.
This has been the third time the Navy has carried out an overseas evacuation mission, it said, noting the previous two operations took place in Libya in 2011 and Yemen in 2015.
The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan, April 26, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan, April 26, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan, April 26, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan, April 26, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
The People's Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan, April 26, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]