Ops Sudan: 30 Malaysians arrive home at 2.54pm

SEPANG: The 30 Malaysians who were rescued from the conflict-torn Khartoum, in Sudan, arrived home on Friday (April 28).

The group, comprising Wisma Putra officials, Petronas employees and students, arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport here at about 2.54pm via Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV834 from Jeddah.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir (pic), along with Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin were among those present at the airport to welcome them home.

The Malaysians were among the 194 nationals who arrived at the King Faisal Naval Base at 1.54am Malaysia time on Thursday (April 27) after travelling for about nine hours from the Port of Sudan onboard the Saudi Arabian naval ship HMS Abha.

ALSO READ: Thirty M'sians evacuated from Sudan now in Jeddah, to fly home on April 28, says Zambry

More than 400 people were reported to have been killed and more than 3,500 others were injured as a result of the armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that broke out last April 15.

A total of 32 Malaysians were reported to be at seven different places in Sudan and on April 21, two of them were transferred to a safe place.

The two Malaysians are individuals serving with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in Abyei and their evacuation process would be carried out by the United Nations (UN). - Bernama