Switzerland announced today that it is considering ways to evacuate its citizens as well as some of its embassy staff to Sudan amid ongoing clashes between the military and paramilitary forces.

The foreign ministry said nearly 100 Swiss citizens are registered in Sudan while others are believed to be visiting the Red Sea region as tourists.

Bern is in contact with other countries about a possible joint evacuation of citizens but stressed that a number of conditions must be met, including guarantees of safe airspace.

At the same time, the European Union is intensifying contacts to reach a truce in Sudan and for the possibility of evacuating by land transportation the nearly 1,500 citizens trapped in the fighting in Khartoum, a European official announced today.

“The evacuation (of citizens) will not be possible from the airport, which is closed, but through land transport and we need a three-day truce to carry out such an operation,” he told AFP.

“The security conditions are not met to consider such an operation at present, but we will be ready when the time is right,” he added.

The operation is coordinated by France and Greece, he clarified.

The situation in Sudan will be discussed during the EU foreign ministers’ council on Monday in Luxembourg.

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, is intensifying contacts with the leaders of the countries in the region. He met with the secretary general of the Arab League and with the Egyptian foreign minister.

Fierce fighting is raging between the regular army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s de facto leader after the 2021 coup, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The EU has a delegation in Khartoum and seven countries — France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece and the Czech Republic — have delegations in the Sudanese capital.

“It is up to African organizations to work to achieve a ceasefire. The stability of the region is at risk,” the European source insisted.

The warring sides have ignored several calls for a truce to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.