The violence in Sudan

Smoke rises over Sudan's capital Khartoum. Abdullah Moneim / AP  

 

The violence in Sudan Correspondent: Water and food are running out - people need to be lifted out now  

 

The fact that the government now wants to send an armed force to Sudan to evacuate Swedes interprets SVT's Africa correspondent Johan Ripås as a sign that it is becoming urgent to get people out of the country. 

  

He says the fighting is making it increasingly difficult to get hold of food and water. According to Ripås, many people who work in Sudan have a stock of supplies that last about a week. 

 

 - That week has passed. Those who are stuck are getting more and more desperate and it's starting to go pretty fast now. It is probably the signal that is coming, that there are people who need to be lifted out, says Ripås.  

 

The Left Party's Håkan Svenneling. Henrik Montgomery/TT  

 

The opposition is behind it: Dangerous but brave decision  

 

The opposition is behind the government's initiative to send an armed force to Sudan to evacuate Swedish citizens from the country. This is what the Left Party's foreign policy spokesperson Håkan Svenneling and the Green Party's Janine Alm Ericson say to Ekot.  

 

Svenneling says that the decision is dangerous, because both the soldiers who are sent to Sudan and those who are to be evacuated are exposed to risks. 

 

- But if we do not make this decision, the risks are even greater. Sometimes you have to make brave decisions as a politician, says Svenneling. 

 

Janine Alm Ericson says that it is "incredibly important" that the government and the Armed Forces are given the opportunity to act.  

 

- We are fully behind this initiative, she says. The decision to give the go-ahead to send the force must be made at an extraordinary meeting of the Riksdag on Sunday.

 

Maria Zakharova. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP  

Russian invasionRussian reactions 

Russia sends home at least 20 German diplomats  

Russia will expel more than 20 German diplomats from the country. This is stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zacharova to Russian state media according to Reuters.  

The Russian announcement comes after Germany expelled some 30 Russian diplomats at the end of last month. 

"As a response to Berlin's hostile actions, the Russian side has decided to expel German diplomats," writes the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement.