Swiss embassy staff evacuated

The foreign ministry says 12 people have been evacuated from the embassy in Sudan and efforts are continuing to get Swiss citizens out of the country.

The ministry says some embassy staff were helped to leave by French forces and others by the ICRC. 

Some Swiss nationals were able to get on German military flights out of the country. 

The government says there are about 100 Swiss nationals in the country - but not all want to leave. 

The Swiss Embassy is in a part of the Sudanese capital Khartoum which is being particularly affected by heavy fighting. 

Some politicians are questioning why Switzerland is having to rely on other countries in the evacuation efforts. 

For the last few years, the government has rejected plans to buy heavy military aircraft – arguing they’re expensive to maintain and would only be used occasionally. 

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