Damascus, Dec. 23 (SANA) A plane carrying 32 Syrian citizens evacuated from Sudan arrived on Tuesday at Damascus International Airport, as part of an evacuation operation previously announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
Director of the Expatriates Affairs Department at the ministry and head of the Syrian technical delegation to Sudan, Mohammad Abdulsalam, said to SANA that preparations for the return of citizens wishing to come back began two months prior to the delegation’s visit to Sudan. He said the mission was carried out under an assignment from Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani to follow up on the situation of Syrians in Sudan.
Abdulsalam explained that the Syrian delegation coordinated with all relevant Sudanese authorities and provided full consular services to help regularize the legal status of Syrians residing there.
He added that, in coordination with capable international organizations and several airlines, the evacuation of 32 people was launched in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). He noted that a second flight is expected to carry 42 people, out of a remaining total of about 200 Syrian citizens.
For his part, IOM Syria Chief of Mission Laurence Hart said: “A number of Syrians who had been stranded in Sudan due to the difficult situation there returned today, amid an escalating humanitarian crisis that has affected many foreigners, including Syrians.” He added that another evacuation operation is scheduled for next week.
Hart said: “Our role involves verifying the nationality of individuals in their country of residence, organizing the necessary documentation, arranging travel, receiving them at the airport and coordinating their transport to their final destinations, whether in Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib or elsewhere, in addition to providing support to help meet their initial needs upon arrival.” He added: “Seeing the smiles on the faces of those returning today is very important and meaningful for us.”
Several returnees expressed their gratitude to the Syrian state for the efforts made to secure their return home, saying they had faced difficult conditions abroad that prevented them from arranging their return on their own, an issue addressed by the Foreign Ministry through legal and logistical support.
In October, a plane arriving at Damascus International Airport from Libya brought back a number of Syrian citizens whose return had also been arranged in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
