By Senator Francis 'Tol Tolentino
THE seventy-two (72) hour ceasefire in currently destabilized Sudan was indeed a sigh of relief.
The three-day breather which started last April 23 bought some time for both Sudanese and other foreign nationals caught in the brewing civil strife to find safe passage to shielded grounds. Our government took advantage of the short crossfire lull and was able to extract Filipinos who requested for repatriation, transporting them to safer refuge in Egypt.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly five hundred deaths have been confirmed and more than four thousand have been reported injured.
The mass exodus is expected to continue as conditions in Sudan deteriorate. Violence and chaos threaten to impair and weaken the Sudanese society and government, endangering the economic stability and peace in the country.
Nations of the world rush to evacuate their citizens in whatever way they can as air travel is stalled and road travel to far away Egypt is a gruelling journey that takes fifteen hours minimum. While the battling armies have agreed for an extension of the ceasefire, hope for conflict resolution remains quite distant.
The hostilities between the armed forces of Sudan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke in mid-April in a struggle for power and control over the strategically located and agriculturally rich nation. The current rift all the m ore complicates and stalls Sudan’s transition towards a democratic government.
Apart from the limited mobility and communication in Sudan, the greater challenge for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers is the stringent process of the Egyptian government in allowing the entry of Filipinos.
While we recognize and respect this prerogative, we wish to make an appeal for the speedier entry of our kababayans into Egyptian borders, assuring their officials that all Filipino evacuees will be repatriated and will not illegally stay in Egypt.
The sooner our kababayans reach safer fields, the sooner their families will be at peace. As the DFA and DWM exhaust all efforts to safely deliver and bring home Filipinos from Sudan, we offer all hopes and prayers for our repatriation team risking their own lives to save their fellow Filipinos. (Sponsored Content)