First 17 Pinoy evacuees arrive from war-torn Sudan

THE first batch of 17 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were evacuated from Sudan arrived in the country on Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

“As I welcome the 1st batch of repatriates from Sudan, I’m inspired by their fortitude and resilience. I’m grateful to our DFA teams, PH agencies and international partners who work nonstop to ensure the safety of our kababayans. Protecting overseas Filipinos is our government’s solemn pledge,” DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a

Twitter post.

The evacuees flew out Friday from Athens, Greece and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the DFA said.

Eight of the evacuees were hotel workers in Sudan who left the conflicttorn state through a Greek military evacuation flight.

“The remaining nine overseas Filipinos, including one infant, fled Khartoum via Port Sudan where they boarded a C130 plane of the Saudi Royal Air Force bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,” the DFA said.

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Data from the DFA showed some 610 Filipinos have been evacuated from Khartoum, more than half of which have crossed to the Egyptian border.

In a separate statement, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople said some 340 OFWs in war-torn Sudan may be home safe soon.