DFA: No more Filipinos at main border of Sudan, Egypt

There are no more Filipinos on Egypt's main border with Sudan, where they are fleeing from violence and clashes, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said.

According to Jonathan Andal's report on "24 Oras", DFA data showed 661 have been rescued from Khartoum.

Some of them have been stranded for at least three days at the main border of Egypt and Sudan while waiting for the processing of their document travels.

“No more Filipinos suffering at the border under such difficult conditions. They are in Egypt na and will be bringing home our kababayans in the next few days,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said on Wednesday.

Twenty-eight Filipinos who are at the smaller border in Goustal may enter Egypt, while 19 others who are in the Port of Sudan will cross the sea to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Philippine government will hire two more buses to fetch and rescue 50 Filipinos who are still inside Sudan and take them to the Port of Sudan.

The DFA said there were 100 Filipinos who refused to leave and asked to move to another area there.

“Sabi nila may trabaho naman kami rito. Sanay sila sa putukan, it comes and go. Sana pakinggan nila kasi we cannot do this forever. Ngayon mabuti may internet pa, may kuryente, pa may mga bus pa, eh paano kung kunwari sa susunod na hostilities wala nang ganun?” De Vega said.

(They said we had a job there. They are used to gunfire, it comes and goes. I hope they will listen because we cannot do this forever. Now it's good that there's the internet, there's electricity, there's still buses. What if in the next round of  hostilities, there'd be none of that?)

Fifty-nine Filipinos arrived in the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, with at least 50 of them students taking Islamic studies at the International University of Africa.

“Sobra. Six hours nakadapa lang kami parang ulan yung bala nila. Yung paglikas namin, umarkila kami ng sarili namin, siguro P15,000, Philippine money. Kasi bakbakan yan eh. Mahal ang hingi nila,” said Norhad Ananaid Langiles, who was rescued from Sudan.

(It is very difficult there. For six hours, we were just lying on our feet, their bullets raining down. When we left, we rented on our own and paid P15,000, Philippine money. Because it is hard there. Their request is expensive.)

The DFA and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) provide at least P15,000 cash assistance to the students.

The OFWs received P100,000 cash assistance each from the different government agencies.

Additional 152 Filipinos will arrive from Sudan on Thursday.

Meanwhile, 300 Filipinos will return home via commercial flights this weekend and next week.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier said the Philippine government is preparing to evacuate more Filipinos during the 72-hour ceasefire between Sudan's warring factions.

According to the President, the government wants to take advantage of the ceasefire to bring home more Filipinos.

The DFA earlier said more than 150 Filipinos in Sudan have sought the Philippine government's help for their repatriation amid the ongoing clashes there between the Sudanese military and a paramilitary group.

The violence in Sudan erupted between the forces of the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: the army chief and his deputy, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. —Richa Noriega/NB, GMA Integrated News