Hundreds of OFWs flee strife-torn Sudan

MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday, April 28, 2023, said at least 496 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have already evacuated the Sudanese capital Khartoum to neighboring countries.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said Manila is coordinating with the governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Greece for the passage of Filipinos continuously streaming out of the country through the respective Philippine Embassies.

On Friday, 340 Filipinos crossed the Argeen border in Egypt after they were cleared for entry following several delays in the processing of documents at the border due to the influx of evacuees.

This brings to 414 the number of Filipinos who are either at the

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Sudanese-Egyptian border or have already crossed into Egypt.

Eight Filipinos from Khartoum also arrived in Greece onboard a Greek military aircraft, with Philippine Ambassador Giovanni Palec receiving them.

The eight will be repatriated via the next available flight to Manila, Daza said.

Meanwhile, 58 Filipinos in Port Sudan are awaiting the ship that will bring them to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Daza said a total of 16 Filipinos have already been received by the team in Jeddah led by Consul General Edgar Tomas Auxilian.

In a text message to the Philippine News Agency, DFA

Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said two more governmentrented buses carrying at least 116 repatriates are in transit from

Khartoum to Egypt.

The evacuation efforts funded by the agency’s assistance-tonationals fund are continuous and DFA teams are in Athens, Jeddah, and at the Egypt-Sudan border to arrange the evacuees’ repatriation via the next available flights.

A three-day ceasefire brokered by the United States between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces began on April 25 and was extended for another 72 hours.

Data from the United Nations showed that the violent power struggle has already killed over 450 and injured more than 4,000.

Non-government organization International Medical Corps said 18 humanitarian aid workers were among the fatalities, including three in North Darfur.

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/ PNA

NOLASCO GARRIDO

MAJUL-IBARRA

Filipino evacuees at the Sudan-Egypt border in Argeen on Friday, April 28, 2023. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said at least 496 Filipinos have already evacuated the Sudanese capital Khartoum to neighboring countries. Photo by DFA Spokesperson

REGINA RAMOS URBANO

URBANO

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Last week, 155,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) went on strike. The immediate impact was service disruptions across many federal agencies, including Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC).

It is important to note that federal employees with IRCC, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) were all affected. At this point we can safely predict a negative impact on the service provided by all federal agencies. As someone who walked the picket line for PSAC in the past as well as crossed the picket line as designated worker, my sympathies are both with former colleagues and the public at large. There are no winners when services are withdrawn, and workers have an interruption in their pay. Federal workers need to support families and live, and the public is highly dependent upon the services they provide and impacted by any withdrawal of service or delay.

IRCC

It is safe to assume that inland processing of temporary status immigration applications will be delayed as a result of the strike action. This would impact submissions such as extension applications for work, study, or visitor status. Online submissions will continue but the signs are not encouraging. The IRCC website has not indicated how permanent