Kenyan Students’ Let Down: Rescuing Themselves in Sudan
Some Kenyan students who have left Sudan since the outbreak of war in the country accuse the government of lying about assisting their escape.
They accuse the Kenyan government of unfairly taking credit for an escape plan that they organized and funded with their own money.
According to Roseline Njogu, principal secretary for foreign and diaspora affairs, they “facilitated” the crossing of 29 “brave children” from Kenya into Ethiopia, where they would then fly them back to their home countries.
“What a sight to behold! Part of a group of 29 Sudanese Diaspora now living in Gondor, Ethiopia. Facilitated by our Ethiopian and Nairobi-based teams. Brave kids! From here, we fly them home,” read a portion of a tweet that included a photo of 27 students.
However, one of the students told the BBC on Tuesday that they had to figure out how to get to Gondar, where the Kenyan embassy is located in Ethiopia, to receive assistance.
The student, who felt “sad and let down by the embassy [in Khartoum] because I thought it would have our backs in such a crisis,” stated that they paid approximately Ksh.40,000 ($300) out of pocket and had to bribe Sudanese police officers multiple times along the way.
“Honestly, it was difficult… We did not eat for two days because we were running for our lives. “I’m glad I took the risk to flee the war zone,” they said, adding that they “managed to evade the Rapid Support Forces while criminals were on the move along the road.”
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Since April 15, forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have been confronting those of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the RSF, in the capital city of Khartoum.
There were at least 427 confirmed fatalities and over 3,700 confirmed injuries, according to the report. Their arrival occurred mere hours before the announcement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the warring Sudanese factions had agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.
According to Blinken, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) concluded 48 hours of intense negotiations.
The ceasefire would begin on April 24 at midnight, according to UN agencies.
-39 airlifted from South Sudan – On Monday evening, the first group of Kenyan evacuees arrived in Nairobi aboard a military plane. According to the Foreign Ministry, the group consisted of 39 individuals, including 19 Kenyans, 19 Somalis, and one Saudi Arabian.
Monday, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale stated that the students traveled by road to South Sudan before boarding the military aircraft.
He added that additional Kenyans would be airlifted.
Duale encouraged Kenyans stranded in Sudan and their families back home to continue registering with the State Department of Diaspora Affairs for logistical purposes. “I commended the youth for their courage and resiliency in the face of the ongoing bloodbath,” Duale wrote in a tweet.
Their arrival occurred mere hours before the announcement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the warring Sudanese factions had agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.
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According to Blinken, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) concluded 48 hours of intense negotiations.
The ceasefire would begin on April 24 at midnight.
Kenyan Students’ Let Down: Rescuing Themselves in Sudan
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