Japan evacuates people from war-torn Sudan, closes embassy

Japan has safely evacuated 45 people from Sudan, including citizens, their spouses and children, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday, adding it has closed its embassy in the country.

The group was flown to Djibouti from Port Sudan in the east of the country in a Self-Defense Forces plane, the ministry said. A further four Japanese citizens were evacuated in cooperation with France and the International Red Cross, according to the statement.

Prior to the evacuation, Japan said there were about 60 of its nationals in Sudan, including embassy staff.

The news came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sudan’s two warring factions had agreed to a three-day cease-fire.