For many, a safe haven is now out of reach amid the continuing violence in the African country, Gebrehiwot Ewnetu has told RT
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The emergency exit plan enacted by US diplomats in Sudan, which involved destroying all passports submitted to the embassy, has left hundreds of innocent people stranded. Policy and governance expert Gebrehiwot Ewnetu told RT on Saturday that the victims of Washington’s hasty withdrawal from the country, which is engulfed by clashes between rival factions, face enormous problems in replacing their documents, according to RT News.
When fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in April, Washington ordered its personnel to evacuate. This prompted the embassy in Khartoum to scramble to destroy classified documents and passports in its files. A State Department spokeswoman confirmed as much to the New York Times, describing it as “standard operating procedure” to prevent sensitive materials from falling into the wrong hands.
Speaking to RT, Ewnetu noted that the issue has several consequences. He explained it would be very challenging for Sundanese nationals to replace their passports and get a laissez-passer due to the dangerous security environment. “Sudanese officials will be saying: ‘We are in a war zone now, I can’t just issue a new passport, I’m having a civil war,’” he said.
When it comes to non-Sudanese nationals, while foreign embassies have established border access points to help them with documents required to leave the country, they will still face huge hurdles, according to Ewnetu.
