Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada announced that the Japan Self-Defense Forces will depart on the afternoon of the 21st to evacuate Japanese nationals living in Sudan in North Africa.
According to local public NHK and Jiji News Agency, Defense Minister Hamada held a press conference this morning and announced that an Air Self-Defense Force C130 transport plane would depart for Djibouti, a neighboring country of Sudan, from Komaki base in Aichi Prefecture on the same afternoon.
This is the sixth time that Japan has transported its citizens by Self-Defense Force aircraft. The most recent example was when the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Violent fighting broke out in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, on the 15th of this month. The background is a power struggle between General Aldel Fatah Burhan, leader of the Sudanese government forces, and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the rebel paramilitary organization Rapid Support Force (RSF).
Fighting continues in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, where there is an international airport. Since it is difficult for the Japanese government to enter Sudan right away, it was decided to have a self-defense unit stand by in Djibouti to grasp the local situation and then determine the means of transportation and route.
According to the Asahi Shimbun, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has already dispatched five selected investigation teams to collect information on the 20th. As early as this week, 370 units of the Self-Defense Forces are expected to depart.
After arriving in Djibouti and grasping the situation in Sudan, the Self-Defense Force units plan to determine when to enter the country.
In a press conference on the 20th, Yoshihide Yoshida (吉田圭秀), head of the joint staff, announced that the Self-Defense Forces are also considering ‘land transport’, in which Japanese people are transported by car to airports in Sudan. If realized, it will be the first case since ground transportation was permitted following the revision of the Self-Defense Force Act in 2013.
It is possible to use weapons for life and body protection during land transportation.
According to the Japanese government, as of the 19th, there are about 60 Japanese residents in Sudan, including staff at the local embassy. No damage information was reported.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.