BD likely to miss out on truce

Concerns are growing over the fate of the Bangladeshi expatriates in Sudan, as the Bangladesh mission is unlikely to start evacuation process during the 72-hour ceasefire brokered by the US that started on Wednesday.
Foreign ministry officials on Wednesday said that the Bangladesh mission officials in Khartoum were taking preparation to start the evacuation process within this week.
According to an official concerned, they were preparing the list of Bangladeshis there for the evacuation. They were also selecting suitable routes for the evacuation.
Acting Ambassador of Bangladesh in Sudan Tarek Alam echoed similar views and he added that everything depended on the situation.

He also mentioned that the officials of the Bangladesh mission were safe, but the Bangladesh mission office in Khartoum, which is at risk of the gunfight, was deserted.
The conflict in Sudan began on April 15. It was triggered by a bitter power struggle between the leaders of Sudan's regular army and a rival paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Officials were planning to evacuate the Bangladeshis, sources said.
Earlier, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said that the government decided to evacuate the Bangladeshis in Khartoum.
A good number of countries have already started the process sensing the continuation of the deadly fighting between the two security forces of the country in Sudan's capital Khartoum.
Presently there are around 1,500 Bangladeshis in Sudan. Some 500 of them will be evacuated in the first phase, foreign ministry sources told the FE on Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Shahriar Alam said the process to bring back Bangladeshi citizens living in Sudan has started with the help of another country and the Bangladesh mission in Khartoum has already started spreading this message among the Bangladeshis there.
"How the Bangladeshis will leave the country depends on the situation in Sudan. All are requested to follow the embassy's instructions on registration and other necessary processes.
I will request the journalists in Bangladesh not to contact the embassy because all mission staffs are busy now and it is better not to disclose the departure route of the Bangladeshis for security reasons. We seek cooperation from all," he told in a Facebook message.
According to reports the residence of the Bangladesh acting ambassador came under attack during the initial days of the fighting.
Later, the acting ambassador and other's of the residence moved to a nearby city.
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