Three Ghanaian footballers in Sudan are among the Ghanaians who are being evacuated from that country due to the deadly conflict, Deputy Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister, Dr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong has said.
Dr Ampratwum-Sarpong said the three footballers and the Ghanaian students have been taken to a safe place awaiting their evacuation.
He told TV3 on Sunday April 23 that “Sudan offers scholarship to some Ghanaian students, we have about 73 Ghanaian students in Sudan undertaking university studies especially in Khartoum. Majority of them are in the petrochemical industry.
“So far, we have accounted for all the Ghanaian students, 73, nobody has been harmed, we have all of them safe in a place, then the next batch of Ghanaians are three Ghanaian footballers in Sudan, we have also accounted for them…so put all of them together the plan is to evacuate them.”
GHANA HAS SO FAR ACCOUNTED FOR A TOTAL OF 76 NATIONALS INCLUDING 73 WHO ARE STUDENTS STUCK IN SUDAN.
THE DEPUTY FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION MINISTER, DR. KWAKU AMPRATWUM-SARPONG SAYS THAT PLANS ARE FAR ADVANCED TO BRING THEM BACK TO GHANA.#3NEWSGH PIC.TWITTER.COM/5TFPZ853US
— #TV3GH (@TV3_GHANA) APRIL 24, 2023
An earlier statement that the Government of Ghana was working to evacuate Ghanaians from Sudan following the conflict.
Khartoum had been the epic center of the clashes with civilians being most affected.
“The Ghana Embassy in Cairo Egypt which has concurrent accreditation to the Sudan, working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Honorary Consulate are coordinating the evacuation of our nationals,” the statement said.
It added that “plans are currently underway to secure their safe passage to Ethiopia.”