King grateful 30 Malaysians returned safe from Sudan

KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al Mustafa Billah Shah expresses is happiness and gratefulness that 30 Malaysians safely returned Friday (April 28) from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan that is mired in armed conflict.

Al-Sultan Abdullah, in a post on Istana Negara's official Facebook page, also expressed his appreciation of the government of Malaysia, especially the Malaysian operations team here and in Sudan, as well as the effort of Malaysian ambassador to Sudan (Mohamad Razdan Jamil) in the mission to bring the Malaysians back home.

He also conveyed his appreciation to the leaders and governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their assistance in the operation.

Apart from that, Al-Sultan Abdullah also thanked the people and mosques for carrying out prayers for the safety and well-being of the Malaysians in Sudan following an armed conflict in the country.

On Friday, 30 Malaysians comprising Wisma Putra officers, Petronas workers and students arrived at KL International Airport via a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Jeddah.

On Thursday (April 27), Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir was reported as saying that the Malaysians would be brought home in a rescue mission by the Sudan Ops Special Team which would have been more difficult without the involvement of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

According to Zambry, Al-Sultan Abdullah personally contacted the President of UAE for assistance in the operation to rescue the stranded Malaysians while the Prime Minister contacted the leader of Sudan to obtain a safe route over 1,233km from Khartoum to Port Sudan, to ensure the success of the complex operation. - Bernama