Sudan war: First lot of Kenyan evacuees arrive in Nairobi

The first group of Kenyan evacuees from war-torn Sudan arrived in the country aboard a military plane on Monday evening.

The group comprised 39 students, among them 19 Kenyans, 19 Somalis, and one Saudi Arabian national.

They were received at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi by Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.

Duale said the students traveled by road to South Sudan where they boarded the military aircraft, adding that more Kenyans were scheduled to be airlifted. 

"I applauded the youngsters for their courage and resilience in braving the ongoing bloodbath and, further encouraged Kenyans stranded in Sudan and their families back home to continue registering with the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, for logistical purposes," he said in a tweet.

Their arrival came just hours before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s announcement that the warring Sudanese factions agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.

Blinken said the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) followed intense 48-hour negotiation.

The ceasefire would start at midnight on April 24.

RSF said in a statement that it had agreed to the truce “in order to open humanitarian corridors, facilitate the movement of citizens and residents, enable them to fulfil their needs, reach hospitals and safe areas, and evacuate diplomatic missions.”

In the war that has played out in the Sudanese capital Khartoum since April 15, forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have been confronting those of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the RSF.

At least 427 people had been confirmed killed and more than 3,700 wounded, the AFP news agency reported on Monday, quoting UN agencies.