Greek government evacuates Corinthia employees from conflict-hit Sudan

The last eight employees of the Maltese-owned Corinthia Hotel in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, have been successfully evacuated by the Greek government at the request of the Maltese government. 

According to a spokesperson, the employees were airlifted on a Greek jet following bilateral talks between Malta and Greece. 

This evacuation comes just in time before the 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan expires on Thursday night.

Sudan has been facing a violent crisis since last week as a power struggle appears to have broken out between the two main factions of the ruling military regime. 

This fighting not only threatens Sudan but also the region and exacerbates the battle for influence that involves major Gulf powers as well as the US, EU, and Russia. The Sudanese armed forces are broadly loyal to the current de facto ruler, Abdulfatah al-Burhan, while the RSF, a collection of militia, follows the controversial former warlord Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

Although there were no Maltese citizens in Sudan, Malta was still coordinating with foreign governments to assist an international company, Foreign Minister Ian Borg confirmed in Parliament on Tuesday. 

Today I hosted my colleague Greece FM @NikosDendias in #Valletta for official talks. Malta has always been advocate about the importance of stability in the #Mediterranean region and will continue to do so. We also discussed our bilateral relations & possible trade opportunities. pic.twitter.com/pr3Y1QF5sX

— Ian Borg (@MinisterIanBorg) October 10, 2022

In a tweet on Thursday, Borg thanked his Greek counterpart for the assistance received in evacuating the remaining employees of the Maltese-owned Corinthia Hotel in Khartoum.