MANILA – At least 409 Filipinos have been evacuated from Sudan in the middle of a ceasefire between warring generals, Malacañang said on Thursday.

The Filipino evacuees have reached "safe zones" in the Egyptian border, said Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil.

Most of the evacuees were overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and their family members, while at least 15 were students. Many of those rescued by the government traveled to Egypt via the Wadi Halfa Highway, she said in a press release.

Aside from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), personnel from the Department of Migrant Workers and Filipinos in the conflict-torn country also assisted in the evacuation, added Garafil.

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The DFA on Wednesday night raised the alert in Sudan to Level 3, which meant voluntary repatriation or evacuation, Garafil said.

Filipinos fleeing Sudan without their passport or IDs "will still be given aid" and their documents will be taken care of when they reach the border, the Palace said.

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Defense officer-in-charge Carlito Galvez is coordinating with the DFA so the defense attaché from the United Arab Emirates and Israel can help evacuate Filipinos to Egypt.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega earlier noted the lack of law enforcement personnel from Manila and nearby territories in Sudan that could help evacuate or rescue Filipinos there.

“The Department of National Defense continues to closely coordinate with concerned agencies to address the immediate needs of the Filipinos seeking repatriation,” the Palace statement read.

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople earlier said Filipinos evacuated from Sudan would receive $200 from the Philippine government. As of Tuesday, around 725 Filipinos in Sudan have contacted the Philippine Embassy in Cairo.

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The fighting in Sudan pits forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against those backing his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The chaos has killed at least 512 people and wounded more than 4,000, according to the health ministry, and reduced some districts of greater Khartoum to ruins.

More than 60 percent of health care facilities in Khartoum are closed because of the conflict, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The WHO also said it was assessing the threat posed to public health after fighters in Sudan occupied a national laboratory holding samples of deadly diseases.

Civilians are also suffering shortages of essential goods including food, medicines and fuel.

The ceasefire is to expire at 2200 GMT Thursday (6 a.m. Friday in Manila). But White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US remains "in direct contact" with the warring generals "to see if we can get this ceasefire extended".

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— With a report from Agence France-Presse

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