Up to 12 special forces soldiers from the Defence Forces are working to evacuate up to 150 Irish citizens out of Sudan capital Khartoum after political violence erupted in the area over the weekend.
The Government has made the decision that the unrest means that it is too dangerous for the Irish people known to be living there to stay in the war-torn country.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Micheál Martin, confirmed today that 50 people have already been moved to the safer small country of Djibouti, away from the main fighting.
READ MORE - Parents of Mayo woman trapped in war-torn Sudan make desperate evacuation plea
This is where the main EU evacuation operations are being based out of.
Our Irish Rangers unit is receiving support from the French and Spanish military in the airlift operations because we do not have that capability yet - two special planes are ordered but will not be delivered until June and September.
Former Irish Rangers officer and new TD for Kildare, Cathal Berry, criticised the sparse resources that means we have to rely on foreign friends to carry out urgent airlifts.
The Irish contingent in Sudan are also receiving support from an ECAT (Emergency Civil Assistance Team) unit from the Department of Foreign Affairs who have been dispatched to Djibouti.
Mr Martin was speaking from the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, where he updated reporters on the repatriation process.
He said: "About 50 Irish citizens were evacuated since yesterday from Khartoum to Djibouti with the support of France and Spain, and I want to take the opportunity to thank the French authorities and the Spanish for doing a remarkable job in terms of a wider co-ordinated evacuation of European Union citizens.
"The situation is fluid. We estimate there’s about 150-plus Irish citizens registered with our embassy in Nairobi – that can include dependents, so you’ll appreciate the situation is fluid.
"But 50 have been evacuated so far and more to come.
"A consular team for the Department of Foreign Affairs has been on the ground in Djibouti since yesterday."
Mr Martin added: "The security situation is on everyone’s mind and obviously this has to be done safely and we have to protect all of our citizens.
"This will take some days.
"I think we’re pleased with the initial outcome in the last 24 hours but it is something that’s very, very fluid, and bear in mind that the conflict is a ferocious one.
"And we also think of all those who are Sudanese civilians who are under huge threat and pressure, many dying, and there’s up to about 12 million Sudanese citizens who are, as we speak, at risk of acute food insecurity, a dire situation."
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