April
29, 2023
The
first Iranian evacuees to escape the Sudan conflict through Saudi Arabia
arrived on Saturday in Jeddah, relieved that their country has settled its
differences with the regional rival.
The
65 Iranians were among about 1,900 people on the latest boat to arrive from
Port Sudan as the battle between rival Sudanese forces entered a third week.
Saudi
Arabia has so far organised evacuations for about 5,000 people from 96
countries, according to the foreign ministry.
Iran
and Saudi Arabia agreed to end a seven-year diplomatic rupture on March 10, and
four Iranian diplomats were on hand when the latest ship arrived at the King
Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah.
Merhdad
Malekzadh, a 28-year-old Iranian who had been living in Khartoum since he was a
child, said no one had expected the fighting to become so intense ,and his
escape had also been a surprise.
"Because
of our nationality, we had never imagined we would come to Saudi Arabia when we
were evacuated," said Malekzadh, whose family runs an oil lubricants
business in the Sudanese capital.
"Fortunately,
they really helped us. They put their differences aside and worked together.
They saved lives," he added.
Saudi
Arabia and Iran have not yet opened embassies after their new diplomatic
agreement, but Hassan Zarnegar Abarghoui, one of the Iranian diplomats waiting
at the base, said his government was grateful for the "humanitarian
cooperation" shown by the Saudi authorities.
More
than 510 people have been killed since fighting erupted on April 15 between the
forces of Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two Mohamed
Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
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