A ship carrying 37 Pakistani nationals from Port Sudan arrived in Jeddah as fighting between the army and paramilitaries in Sudan continues, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday.

In a tweet today, the FO said the Pakistanis were received by Consul General of Pakistan in Jeddah Khalid Majid on arrival at Jeddah Port. It added that evacuation plans for Pakistani nationals in Sudan are ongoing.

“We are grateful to the Government of KSA for its support and hospitality,” the FO said.

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that 700 Pakistanis have been evacuated to safety in civil war-torn Sudan.

He said that in keeping with the commitment of the government of Pakistan to the welfare of overseas Pakistanis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to lead in the relief and rescue of Pakistanis in Sudan.

700 Pakistanis reach Port Sudan for repatriation: FM Bilawal

“Today, another convoy carrying 211 Pakistanis dispatched from Khartoum has arrived in Port Sudan. With the latest convoy, the total number of Pakistanis who have been evacuated to safety has reached 700,” Bilawal said.

He said that Ambassador Meer Bahrose Regi’s team in Khartoum and Port Sudan are working day and night to facilitate the stay of Pakistanis who are still in Sudan until their evacuation to Pakistan.

“We remain engaged with friendly countries in the region especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to facilitate this process,” he stated.

Fighting that broke out on April 15 in Sudan has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country, where millions of people have been left without access to basic services.

UK has evacuated 200-300 Britons from Sudan

On Tuesday, a US-brokered 72-hour ceasefire between Sudan’s warring generals officially came into effect after 10 days of urban combat killed hundreds, wounded thousands and sparked a mass exodus of foreigners.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to the ceasefire “following intense negotiations”, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, as per AFP.