The Spanish soldiers met the convoy of evacuees in Sudan until they arrived at the airport

MADRID, 24 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Spanish soldiers had to venture into the streets of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to meet the convoy that was transporting hundreds of people from the Spanish embassy who have been evacuated from the country in an Air and Space Army plane.

More than 200 soldiers have participated in the operation to get thirty Spaniards out of Sudan and another 72 people of other nationalities, especially Europeans and Latin Americans.

To carry out the mission, the Spanish Armed Forces initially positioned an A400 aircraft with two VAMTAC vehicles and ground force personnel at the Wadi Seidna military airport, north of Khartoum, to support the evacuation. A few hours later, two more A400s landed to complete the deployment of the entire ground force.

Once the security perimeter was established, the movement of the convoy with civilian personnel began from the Embassy to the airport, where a patrol of the ground element went out to meet it until it reached a safe area, as reported by the Defense General Staff (EMAD).

Once there, the A400 has transported the more than one hundred civilians to Djibouti, from where a total of 70 people have flown to Spain in an Airbus A330 and the rest have remained in Djibouti to return to their respective countries by other means.

In the next few hours, the return of the bulk of the Spanish Army and the Air and Space Army responsible for the operation and who are still in Djibouti is also expected.

The Non-Combatant Personnel Rescue Operation (NEO) began on Friday with the positioning of Air Force aircraft at the Djibouti airport.

Specifically, nearly 90 soldiers from the I Paratrooper Flag and the Army Special Operations Command, 80 members of the 31st Wing, the 45th Group, the Air Deployment Support Squadron and the Air Evacuation Medical Unit of the Army of the Air and Space, a reconnaissance and operational liaison team from the Operations Command and personnel from the Joint Command of Special Operations and the JFAC (Joint Force Air Component), among others.

As explained by EMAD, before starting the evacuation from Sudan, the necessary diplomatic coordination was carried out "and the appropriate protection measures were established to wait for the most appropriate moment of action due to the delicate nature of the situation."

The personnel of the Orion Detachment --currently deployed in Operation Atalanta--, which has become an advanced base for the deployment of the mission, have also supported the operation.