Italy airlifts 96 people to safety out of conflict-torn Sudan

Evacuees from war-torn Sudan are greeted upon their arrival at Ciampino airport near Rome, Italy, April 24, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

ROME (Reuters) - Two Italian military planes on Monday evacuated 96 people out of Sudan, as Western, Arab and Asian nations rushed to get their citizens out of the African country amid an eruption of violence.

The surge in hostilities between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on April 15 has killed at least 427 people, knocked out hospitals and other services and turned residential areas into war zones.