Koreans who were isolated due to armed conflict between Sudanese warlords and then withdrew through the South Korean government’s “Promise” operation arrive at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 25th. 2023.4.25. Photo Collaboration Foundation‘D-Day is the 22nd. The assembly point is the Korean Embassy in Sudan.’
The local situation was getting worse and worse. The evacuation operation could not be delayed any longer. Korean citizen A recalled the situation at the time like this. He said, “Even the Sudan airport was bombed. My little daughter was so stressed out that she collapsed while playing.” Another Korean resident, Kim Hyeon-wook, said, “A very large battle took place in front of the house. The situation was so frightening that it was thought that soldiers had broken into the house.”
Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop encourages soldiers who participated in Operation Promise to rescue Koreans living in Sudan at Seoul Airport in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province on the 25th. 2023.4.25. news 1The reason the Ministry of Foreign Affairs chose the Korean embassy in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, as a gathering place for Korean residents was because it had at least supplies of food and other supplies. The embassy, equipped with a generator, was judged to be an easy place to wait for a while before evacuating.
The problem was that the residences of Koreans were scattered in nine places near the battlefield, making it difficult to gather quickly. In Khartoum, soldiers armed with rifles were guarded at every corner every 500m, so it was not easy to move individually. Overcoming these difficulties, it was successful in bringing back the scattered Koreans. Ambassador Namgoong-hwan to Sudan and other embassy staff rode bulletproof vehicles to visit Koreans. Ambassador Nam said, “I had to gather them all before I could withdraw. I went looking for it with the single thought of collecting it to the end.” Ban Yong-woo, a Korean citizen, said, “It felt like I was dead and came back to life.” He recalled the urgency of the situation, saying, “guns and cannons were fired, and a war that we had only heard about happened around our house.”
However, Khartoum Airport, which was only 1.3 km away from the embassy, was closed and could not be reached. As a result, it turned to Port Sudan, a port city in Sudan’s eastern part, as a “land escape operation.”
The country that contributed decisively to this operation was the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE government proposed the safest overland route to Port Sudan and even hired an escape vehicle. During the process, Khaldun Khalifa Al Mubarak, head of the Abu Dhabi Administrative Office of the UAE, sent a message to Foreign Minister Jin Park saying, “Your people are our people.” The UAE government also sent a message through various channels to both the Sudanese government forces and the rebels (Rapid Support Force, RSF) not to block the land movement of Koreans.
Koreans who were isolated due to armed conflict between Sudanese warlords and then withdrew through the South Korean government’s “Promise” operation arrive at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 25th. 2023.4.25. Photo Collaboration FoundationThe Koreans first got into six sports utility vehicles (SUVs), and then loaded two cats and a dog and moved to the UAE official residence in Khartoum. After that, he changed to 6 buses and headed for Port Sudan. There were 200 to 300 people on the bus, including Koreans and UAE residents. It was 840 km from Khartoum to Port Sudan, but due to safety issues, it took a detour and traveled 1174 km. The Koreans endured by eating gimbap and other things they had brought from the embassy. It took about 33 hours to go and repeat the library. It was usually 13 hours away. An acquaintance of the Koreans who escaped said, “28 Koreans traveled by bus for over 33 hours, eating 40 rows of gimbap, cup noodles, and rice cakes.” said.
Koreans who arrived in Port Sudan boarded a C-130J transport plane from South Korea. The Koreans arrived at Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia at 10:28 pm on the 24th, and transferred to a KC-330 ‘Cygnus’ aerial refueling tanker at 11:08 pm, 40 minutes after arrival. Finally, after a 13-hour flight, the Cygnus carrying 28 Koreans landed on the runway at 3:57 pm on the 25th. Operation ‘Promise’ was completed.
At 4:11 p.m., the door of Cygnus opened, and the Koreans who were bright in their homeland met their families and friends who had come to meet them. A Korean-American woman cried after being handed her bouquet. Her aunt, 6, was snuggling with her family before she ran down the runway with a gifted teddy bear. She was a child who escaped after going to Sudan to stay with her mother, a councilor. The two families were relieved, saying, “The child did not cry when traveling by land, but after boarding the transport plane, she burst into tears as if she felt relieved.”
Yoon Sang-ho, military reporter [email protected]
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.