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DIRCO providing assistance to South Africans, embassy staff in Sudan: Pandor

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Minister of International Relations and Corporation, Dr Naledi Pandor, says her department is assisting South Africans and embassy staff in Sudan following clashes between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support forces.

Many people have been killed as clashes continue in the country.

Pandor made these remarks during her meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister, Anniken Huitfeldt, in Pretoria, on Wednesday.

She says South Africa is working round the clock to bring its citizens back home.

Bilateral relations between the country and Norway are expected to be strengthened today during the meeting with Pandor and Huitfeldt.

Relations between the two nations are well-established and mutually beneficial: 

US-brokered ceasefire unsuccessful 

More than 270 people have been killed and at least 2 000 others injured in Sudan. This is as air strikes and explosions hammer the capital, Khartoum, after the failure of a US-brokered ceasefire between the army and paramilitary forces.

The situation has forced residents to stay indoors and prompted some countries to prepare to evacuate their citizens. Foreign powers including the US have been pushing for a ceasefire between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. They are calling on the two parties to allow residents to obtain desperately needed relief and supplies.

A mission by the German military to evacuate around 150 citizens from Sudan had to be halted on Wednesday due to fighting in the capital Khartoum, the Spiegel news magazine reported citing unnamed sources.

Spiegel said the Luftwaffe air force had dispatched three A400M transport planes for the mission early on Wednesday. The planes had landed in Greece for a refuelling stop.

The Bundeswehr military aborted the mission amid reports of renewed clashes and airstrikes in Khartoum, according to the report. -Additional reporting by Reuters 

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