The 72 people evacuated from Sudan have landed at around 11:00 a.m. at the Torrejón de Ardoz military base (Madrid), where they have been received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. Spain thus successfully completes the evacuation operation, which has rescued 34 Spaniards and another 38 citizens of eleven nationalities residing in the African country.
The Spanish air force military plane with the evacuees took off this Sunday from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, shortly before 11:00 p.m. (peninsular time) bound for Djibouti, from where it departed for the Torrejón air base. He had traveled there to begin evacuation tasks from Djibouti, where Spain has a military detachment with tasks to combat piracy.
Once security conditions in the capital allowed it — the city is in chaos due to fighting between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries — two air force planes landed in Khartoum.
The people who were going to be rescued were previously regrouped at the residence of the Spanish ambassador, from where the convoy departed, escorted by military vehicles to the aircraft. A group of Spaniards residing in Sudan voluntarily decided to remain in the African country or left it by their own means.
The journey took place “without any incident,” according to Minister Albares, at the stroke of midnight yesterday, once the military plane carrying the evacuees managed to take off from Khartoum. “It is a happy moment and a moment of relief because we have been able to successfully complete the evacuation,” declared the highest representative of Spanish diplomacy, who highlighted the ambassador’s coordination work.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia have congratulated the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and of Defense, Margarita Robles, for the “success” of the operation.
As reported by Zarzuela, the Kings have extended their congratulations to the Chief of the Defense Staff, Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón, and to the General in Chief of the Operations Command, Lieutenant General Francisco Braco, as well as to the Spanish Ambassador in Sudan, Isidro Gonzalez.
With the latter, Don Felipe had the opportunity to speak by phone after landing at the Torrejón de Ardoz air base (Madrid) to congratulate him personally, as indicated by Albares, in the statements released by his Ministry after receiving the evacuees.
