AL-MUKALLA: A second group of Yemenis rescued from Sudan arrived in Jeddah on a Saudi ship on Saturday, as hundreds of their compatriots stranded in the country pleaded for immediate evacuation.
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the second group was transported from Port Sudan to Jeddah on the Saudi-flagged passenger vessel Amanah.
The ministry gave no details on the number of evacuees, but added that many Yemenis traveled by road from Sudanese cities to Port Sudan on the Red Sea to await rescue.
The Amanah anchored at King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah with more than 1,900 people of 17 nationalities, including Yemenis, evacuated from Sudan.
Last week, the first group of more than 200 Yemeni evacuees arrived in the Kingdom.
The evacuees praised Saudi authorities who gave them a one-month visa and complimentary hotel rooms for two nights.
Dozens of Yemenis who arrived in Jeddah last week have begun returning by land to their war-torn country, while others are heading to other countries.
Abdul Aziz Al-Ansi, who arrived at the Al-Wadea border crossing between Saudi Arabia and Yemen on Saturday afternoon, told Arab News that he was among 100 Yemenis leaving on two buses bound for Marib and Aden.
“We’re currently at the border entry. We departed Jeddah last night. Most of us are students,” Al-Ansi said, adding that he planned to embark on another arduous journey from Marib to his native village in the province of Dhamar.
In Jeddah, another Yemeni evacuee, Sam Al-Baydani, told Arab News that he was fortunate to be one of the first Yemenis rescued from Sudan and that he planned to settle in Cairo.
“We were among the first to arrive at Port Sudan and there were few people there,” he said. “We attempted three times to flee the fighting Khartoum. Saudi Arabia greeted us with open arms. They met us at the dock, transported us on buses, gave us a month’s stay and put us up in good hotels,” Al-Baydani said.
The Yemeni Students Union in Sudan urged the Yemeni government to step up the evacuations, saying that more than 1,500 Yemenis are stranded in Port Sudan, while almost the same number are en route to the city.
Social media images and videos showed scores of Yemeni children, women, and men sleeping on bags and luggage outdoors, as others squeezed into a wedding hall.
“We’re exhausted. We don’t have any money or accommodation, and they haven’t brought us any food or water. Our family slept in the shade of a tree. What shall we do?” yelled a young man in a video that was circulated on social media.
Source : Arab News
