Saudi Arabia Leads Humanitarian Evacuation of Sudan

GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, SAUDI MINISTRY OF DEFENSE  |  Photos by Saudi armed forces

Saudi Arabia convoyed 8,455 people to safety from Sudan in April and May of 2023, a humanitarian mission that highlighted the capabilities and preparedness of the Saudi Armed Forces. 

What began as a mission to evacuate Saudis stranded
in Sudan at the outbreak of fighting between Sudanese factions became a larger operation to evacuate people
from 110 different nationalities.

Among the evacuees ferried from Port Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were many citizens of the United States. Gen. Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, commended the efforts of his Saudi partners, singling out Saudi Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Fayyad Al Ruwaili. 

“We are greatly appreciative of the remarkable effort of General Al Ruwaili, the Royal Saudi Armed Forces, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in evacuating hundreds of Americans to safety,” Gen. Kurilla said.

The kingdom’s leaders issued a directive for the evacuation of Saudi citizens on April 22, 2023, but the large number of people awaiting departure at Port Sudan led them to expand the operation. 

The Saudi Ministry of Defense coordinated closely with other government agencies to ensure a seamless integration of plans. Mobilizing Navy ships and Air Force aircraft, with additional support from various branches of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense successfully evacuated 8,455 individuals. 

Those evacuated included 404 Saudi citizens and 8,051 people from other countries. The evacuation took place between April 22 and May 12, 2023. Saudi Arabia stood out as the first nation to evacuate its citizens from Sudan during the crisis.

The kingdom also assisted other countries in evacuating 11,184 of their residents from Sudan to Saudi Arabia before they returned home, including more than 400 U.S. citizens.