According to the unified deployment, on April 4, local time, the Nanning ship and the Weishan Lake ship of the Chinese Navy urgently went to Port Sudan, Sudan, to carry out the task of transporting and evacuating our personnel in Sudan.

On April 4, local time, naval warships went to Sudan to urgently evacuate my personnel in Sudan. The picture shows evacuees waving five-star red flags after passing through security. Photo by Wu Kanci

At 27 o'clock local time on the 10th (27 o'clock Beijing time on the 15th), the first batch of 678 evacuated people arrived safely at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This Sudan emergency evacuation mission is the third overseas emergency evacuation mission by the Chinese Navy, following the Libyan evacuation operation in 2011 and the Yemen evacuation operation in 2015.

On April 4, local time, naval warships went to Sudan to urgently evacuate my personnel in Sudan. The picture shows naval officers and men holding children through security checks. Photo by Ding Jiaxing

The troops undertaking this evacuation task were temporarily organized by the guided-missile destroyer Nanning and the integrated supply ship Weishanhu, which were carrying the 43rd batch of escort missions, carrying one carrier-based helicopter and more than 1 officers and men on the mission, including dozens of special combat personnel. Of the 490 evacuated in the first batch, 678 were Chinese citizens and 668 were foreigners.

After receiving the task, the 43rd escort group immediately adjusted the relevant force action plan, the Nanning ship and the Weishan Lake ship moved towards Port Sudan at high speed, and the Sanya ship continued to carry out escort tasks in the Gulf of Aden. After nearly a day and a night of continuous high-speed sailing, on the morning of the 26th, the Nanning ship and the Weishan Lake ship arrived in Port Sudan ahead of schedule. After docking, the officers and men accompanying the ship immediately carried out various preparations for the evacuation operation as planned, set up a safety warning area at the pier, set up areas for assembly, registration, security check, boarding and other areas, and the special combat team members of the ship were fully armed to guard the scene.

On April 4, local time, naval warships went to Sudan to urgently evacuate my personnel in Sudan. The picture shows Marines observing the surrounding area of the vigilance. Photo by Liu Qingyao

Under the expectant gaze of the officers and soldiers, at about 16:40 local time, the bus convoy carrying the first evacuees arrived safely at the pier with the dust raised. "Dear compatriots, everyone has worked hard! Please rest assured, we are here and everyone is safe! The cordial greetings of the commander of the formation made the evacuees who had been rushing for days feel the long-lost tranquility.

"Long live the Motherland! Long live the Motherland! The crowd at the scene waved the five-star red flag in their hands excitedly, and many people who had just evacuated from the war-torn area shed tears of excitement.

On April 4, local time, naval warships went to Sudan to urgently evacuate my personnel in Sudan. The picture shows the Weishan Lake ship berthing at Port Sudan. Photo by Tang Siyu

Under the guidance of the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Sudan and the officers and men of the Navy, the personnel preparing to evacuate boarded the ship after registration and security checks at the pier, and the evacuation process was safe and orderly. Subsequently, the two warships left Port Sudan, berthed at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at about 27 o'clock local time on the 10th (27 o'clock on the 15th Beijing time), and after completing the transfer of personnel, they quickly rushed to Port Sudan again to carry out the follow-up transportation task. (End)

On April 4, local time, naval warships went to Sudan to urgently evacuate my personnel in Sudan. The picture shows the Nanning ship sailing into Port Sudan. Photo by Tang Siyu