Top official says Japan Self-Defense Forces will be sent to African nation to rescue around 60 Japanese nationals
TOKYO
Japan is preparing to rescue its nationals from conflict-torn Sudan, officials said on Wednesday.
Hirokazu Matsuno, government spokesman, told a news conference that personnel from Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) will be sent to the African nation to rescue Japanese nationals.
There are around 60 Japanese nationals living in Sudan which have seen military clashes since last weekend.
Matsuno said there were “no reports of injuries” among the Japanese people living in Sudan, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.
Fighting erupted on Saturday between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the capital Khartoum and its surroundings. The two sides have agreed to a 24-hour cease-fire.
More than 180 people have been killed and 1,800 others injured in the ongoing violence, according to UN figures.
