The government has issued emergency hotline numbers for Kenyans living and working in Sudan amid escalating violence that has seen at least 200 people dead.
Through Twitter on Wednesday, Principal Secretary for the State Department of Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu urged Kenyans in Sudan to reach out via +249900194854 (Sudan) and +254114757002 (Kenya).
“If you’re a Kenyan in Sudan, or you have Kenyan family and friends there, immediately contact us on these numbers,” she said.
On Tuesday, the government said plans are underway to evacuate about 3,000 Kenyans in Sudan if the current situation in Khartoum escalates into a humanitarian crisis.
The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs set up a multi-agency technical team that is monitoring the situation and preparing to support Kenyans in Sudan through humanitarian assistance and emergency evacuation if need be.
PS Njogu announced that no Kenyan casualty has been reported in the conflict that has seen at least 200 people killed and property of unknown value destroyed.
The government advised Kenyans to continue staying indoors as they monitor the situation.
Fighting between Sudan’s army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out last week, with both sides claiming to control key sites in the capital Khartoum where residents sheltered from explosions.
The fighting is part of a vicious power struggle within Sudan’s military leadership, with the two men at its centre disagreeing over how the country should transition to civilian rule.
The army claims it is in control of all its bases, including its Khartoum headquarters where heavy weapons have been used during intense clashes. The sound of gunfire and explosions has hardly stopped since Saturday morning.
Sudan has been under military rule since a coup overthrew President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
