NEARLY 500 people arrived yesterday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia aboard two vessels, one a US ship and the other Saudi, after fleeing the fighting in Sudan.

The US Navy’s USS Brunswick arrived in the Saudi Red Sea port yesterday carrying 308 people, according to Al-Ekhbariya TV, which showed images of numerous passengers wearing red shirts inscribed “US Embassy”.

There were 105 Americans in total on the vessel, 100 Sudanese and others from 15 countries, officials told AFP, insisting on anonymity.

The Saudi vessel evacuated 171 from Sudan, including 41 Saudis and nationals of other countries, including the UK and the United States, according to SPA, the Saudi state news agency.

They were all part of a broader exodus that has seen more than 5,000 people seek refuge in the Gulf kingdom since fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15.

The United States conducted three overland convoys in as many days to help people flee the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, where a number of vessels have helped them flee the fighting.

“These convoys have assisted more than 700 individuals,” US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.

Aside from the three convoys, Patel said US officials have helped nearly 1,000 Americans escape the spreading conflict in Sudan.

He said they are being taken to Jeddah and other cities in the region like Djibouti and Nicosia.

The evacuation took place amid a very tentative ceasefire between two battling factions of the country’s armed forces.

“Intensive negotiations by the US with the support of our regional and international partners enabled the security conditions that have allowed the departure of thousands of foreign and US citizens, including through today’s operation,” Patel said.

“We continue to call on Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to end the fighting that is endangering all civilians,” he said.

As of yesterday, Saudi Arabia had received more than 5,400 civilian evacuees from Sudan, including 225 Saudis and foreigners from 102 countries, SPA said.

Millions of Sudanese, unable to leave, are hunkering down amid heavy fighting between the forces of army general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the paramilitary RSF.

The fighting has killed more than 500 people, displaced tens of thousands and triggered an exodus of foreigners and international staff.

Gun battles and explosions again rocked the capital yesterday, with warplanes flying sorties and striking northern areas of Khartoum. – AFP, May 2, 2023.