ISTANBUL, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 500 Turkish citizens who were in Sudan when clashes broke out earlier this month arrived in Türkiye's Istanbul on Wednesday, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.
According to the agency, the first plane carrying the evacuees landed at Istanbul Airport at 01:10 a.m. local time (2210 GMT) and the second at 9:30 a.m. local time.
The passengers travelled by bus from Sudan to Addis Ababa in neighboring Ethiopia, where they were transferred to Istanbul by planes of Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier.
According to Anadolu, evacuated Turks faced many difficulties in entering Ethiopia as many countries try to evacuate their citizens at the same time.
The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which broke out on April 15, has reportedly killed hundreds of people and injured thousands of others.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to mediate between the warring parties in Sudan to hold peace talks. The Turkish leader also asked the Sudanese leaders to do their best to protect the safety and properties of Turkish citizens and institutions in Sudan. ■
