NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The first group of Kenyan evacuees from Sudan landed in the country’s main airport on Monday.
Thirty-nine students — 19 Kenyans along with 19 Somalis and one Saudi Arabian national — alighted from a Kenya Airforce aircraft that landed on Monday night.
The students traveled by road to South Sudan where they boarded the military aircraft.
The group was received by Defense Minister Aden Duale who said they were all students at an international university in Sudan and that more Kenyans were scheduled to be airlifted home.
More evacuations are underway, with the foreign ministry stating three evacuation programs were active.
Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Mutua thanked countries that allowed Kenyans fleeing from Sudan to cross the border and “granted permission for Kenyan planes to overfly their airspace.”
A permanent secretary in the ministry, Roseline Njogu, shared photos of students who are part of a group of 29 currently in Gondor, Ethiopia after fleeing Sudan.
She said the group would be flown home later.
The ministry said hundreds of Kenyans were en route to Port Sudan from where they will be airlifted.
As fighting continues in Sudan, several countries have evacuated their citizens to other countries including Djibouti, Egypt and Ethiopia — and some back home.
The South African government on Monday said at least 77 South African nationals, including embassy staff, are on their way out of the Sudanese capital.
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