BEIRUT: Two groups of Lebanese and Palestinian refugees flew to Beirut on Tuesday after they were evacuated from Sudan.
They arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport carried by two Middle East Airlines flights from Jeddah.
The first batch of 12 Lebanese arrived at 3 p.m., and the second plane arrived at 11 p.m., carrying 32 passengers, 12 of whom were Palestinian.
The evacuees were welcomed at the airport by caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Lebanon’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Fawzi Kabbara, and the Secretary-General of the High Relief Commission Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair.
On Monday, a group of Lebanese, including businessmen and their families, were evacuated from Sudan.
Bou Habib said the evacuation process was both delicate and tiring, praising the Saudi efforts to evacuate people from Sudan.
“The first stage of the evacuation process was successful thanks to the assistance of the UAE, which took over the evacuation from Khartoum to Port Sudan, and the second stage was undertaken by Saudi Arabia, from Port Sudan to Lebanon,” he said.
Bou Habib added: “We are grateful for the assistance provided to the Lebanese who were evacuated, and I want to especially thank Saudi Arabia for prioritizing the Lebanese. Jordan also offered us assistance, but its capabilities are limited in terms of warplanes.”
The evacuees were transferred from Port Sudan to Jeddah on board a private Saudi ship of the Royal Saudi Navy.
Bou Habib said: “So far, we have evacuated about 60 Lebanese, including Palestinians. Four Syrians have decided to stay in Saudi Arabia, which granted them visas to stay in the country for a full month, although we did not object to them coming to Lebanon. If there are more Lebanese stuck in Sudan, we hope they will contact us so that we can arrange their evacuation.
“The Lebanese ambassador to Sudan, Dima Haddad, who moved to Port Sudan, will return to Lebanon with the evacuation of the last batch of Lebanese to Beirut.
“A convoy that includes 16 Lebanese set off from Khartoum but has not yet arrived in Port Sudan, and we are waiting for it.”
The Lebanese community in Sudan is comprised of approximately 100 people, most of whom are businessmen and their families. Some were spending the Eid Al-Fitr vacation in Beirut when the clashes broke out in Khartoum.
The evacuation process began at dawn on Sunday with the Lebanese community gathering in front of the Rotana Hotel in Khartoum, to embark on a land trip toward the Coral Port Sudan Hotel, a journey that takes several hours and is fraught with dangers.
Maj. Gen. Khair said: “The evacuees are mostly businessmen and employees in different companies in Sudan.”
Hassan Attia, a Lebanese who was returning with his wife and their child, described the situation in Khartoum as “terrifying.” He said they encountered several roadblocks during their 18-hour journey between Khartoum and Port Sudan.
Another evacuee pointed out the Lebanese businessmen's concern over their property and money in Khartoum, which have become at risk.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the “special care with which the Kingdom surrounded the Lebanese evacuees, and the efforts of the Saudi Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, and everyone who contributed to the evacuation of the Lebanese and ensured their safe return.”
Mikati said: “Saudi Arabia has been and still is the top supporter of Lebanon and the Lebanese in all circumstances. The Lebanese people, from all sects, look forward to returning the love that the Kingdom has shown them, as a token of appreciation and loyalty.”
