Gift of the Givers helps stranded SA citizens return home from Sudan

Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers said a group of 22 South Africans who were stranded on their employer’s boat in Egypt for days after fleeing from conflict-ridden Sudan have finally received a release order from Egyptian authorities to return home.

The organisation’s founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said Gift of the Givers received a call from a group of nationals stranded in Safaga Port, Egypt, since Saturday, 29 April.

“They had arrived from Port Sudan where they were on contract since September 2022. The project required two more weeks for completion but the war broke out.”

Release order

Sooliman said they received the release order late on Monday night.

“The SA group received the release order from the Egyptian authorities around 1:45am Egyptian time, which is 12:45am SA time today. They need consular support to sign them off at Port Safaga. From there they travel to Hurghada Airport, fly to Cairo, Addis Ababa and Cape Town. If they have a problem with their flights, we will speak to the GM of Ethiopian Airlines in Cape Town.”

ALSO READ: 53 South Africans return home from Sudan

Scottish Terriers

Sooliman said Gift of the Givers is also trying to assist the return of two Scottish Terriers owned by a South African family.

The dogs belong to Ilse and Adam Young and their twins Isabella and Duncan.

“We are also considering the option of requesting Ethiopian Airlines to fly Adam Young and the two Scottish Terriers on their airline to Johannesburg, pending clearance from Egyptian veterinary authorities. Clearance from OR Tambo veterinary services has already been granted.”

Sudan clashes

Clashes between rival military factions in Sudan broke out mid-April due to a power struggle.

Military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, have been fighting over the planned integration of Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces into the regular army.

While heavy fighting rages on and billowing clouds of smoke from air strikes paint the skies of Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum black, countries across the globe are scrambling to get their citizens out of the country.

ALSO READ: Sudan: Raging battle sparks mass evacuations by countries