A warship docked in Port Sudan to evacuate over 200 Indians. April 25, 2023. | Photo: ANI.

South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday 157 South Sudanese citizens are stranded in Port Sudan after fleeing the deadly fighting in Khartoum.

This was revealed in a meeting between the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Deng Dau Deng Malek and the Representative of International Organization for Migration (IOM), Peter Van der.

The two officials discussed the situation of returnees, refugees, and nationals of third countries inside South Sudan’s border areas of Renk and Aweil.

“The Acting Minister highlighted the plight of 157 people stranded in Port Sudan,” reads part of the foreign ministry statement released late on Saturday.

No further details were provided about the situation of the South Sudanese citizens and how they ended up there.

The Red Sea port has been a crucial evacuation route for foreign nationals from around the world since the ferocious fighting erupted between Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Regarding the humanitarian crisis in the Republic of Sudan, the South Sudan foreign ministry says the country has now registered 73,000 returnees and refugees.

Minister Deng and Van der also discussed the “dire” situation of South Sudanese stuck in Libya during the meeting and the government’s plan for relocation.