Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 1Topic: The People’s Navy will reach where the interests of the nation go——A summary of the Chinese Navy’s mission to evacuate Chinese personnel in Sudan
Li Yun, Mo Xiaoliang, Tang Siyu
On April 26, local time, the guided-missile destroyer Nanning and the comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu of the Chinese Navy sailed to Sudan urgently to carry out the task of evacuating our personnel in Sudan. This is the Marine Corps members on guard duty at the evacuation site. Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Tang Siyu)
The emergency evacuation of Chinese personnel in Sudan has once again tested the loyalty, responsibility and capability of the Chinese navy.
The Chinese naval guided missile destroyer Nanning and comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu maneuvered over 630 nautical miles overnight from the Gulf of Aden to the waters near Port Sudan, seven hours earlier than the time required by their superiors.
Following the Chinese navy’s 2011 Libya evacuation and 2015 Yemen evacuation, the Sudanese evacuation began in the Red Sea on April 26. The two warships are from the Chinese naval escort formation that is escorting the Gulf of Aden, carrying a ship-borne helicopter, and more than 490 officers and soldiers, including dozens of special operations personnel.
On April 29, the Weishanhu ship of the Chinese Navy arrived at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Haizhou
On April 27, the evacuees from Sudan arrived at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on board a Chinese naval vessel.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Haizhou
The safety of the people is always the heart of the soldiers of the people. During the voyage from the Gulf of Aden to Port Sudan, the officers and soldiers of the Chinese Navy mission deduced all kinds of special situations that can be predicted and predicted, and made preparations based on the most complicated situation.
“If the warship can’t get close, use the assault boat to send the crew and special forces members up, and we must pick up our people on board.” Commander Zhao Lang made up his mind at the mission deployment meeting. The combat staff conducted a comprehensive assessment and marking of the dock.
The commander’s concern is not based on speculation. The evacuation operations of some countries in Sudan were attacked by unknown armed forces, causing damage to equipment and injuries.
On April 29, Chinese citizens evacuated from Sudan arrived at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia aboard the Chinese navy ship Weishanhu.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Haizhou
It is gratifying that, with the assistance of Chinese embassies and consulates in relevant countries, on the morning of the 26th, the Nanning ship and the Weishanhu ship successfully berthed at Port Sudan. As soon as the gangway was lowered, several crew members of the Nanning ship, which was the first to berth at the port, quickly boarded the pier and set up a security alert area. Dozens of special forces members immediately went on alert. “We are here, you are safe.” Faced with the first batch of evacuees assembled at the pier, formation commander Yang Yanhua’s condolences were short but full of strength and confidence, which aroused warm applause from the scene.
On April 26, local time, the guided-missile destroyer Nanning and the comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu of the Chinese Navy sailed to Sudan urgently to carry out the task of evacuating our personnel in Sudan. This is the evacuees boarding the Weishanhu ship. Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Liu Qingyao)
According to the evacuation action plan, more than a thousand Chinese compatriots and foreign nationals were evacuated from Port Sudan, Sudan, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Chinese naval ships. In order to allow the evacuees who escaped from danger to sleep peacefully on the ship, the naval officers and soldiers vacated most of the living quarters, took out their own bedding, and posted guide signs in the passage to tell everyone the location of the bathroom and restaurant. The cooking team works almost all day long to ensure that the evacuees have hot dishes and meals.
On April 26, local time, the guided-missile destroyer Nanning and the comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu of the Chinese Navy sailed to Sudan urgently to carry out the task of evacuating our personnel in Sudan. This is the evacuee registration security check. Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Liu Qingyao)
At 10 o’clock on April 27, local time, after the first batch of 678 evacuees safely and smoothly arrived at Jeddah Port in Saudi Arabia, the Nanning ship and the Weishan Lake ship quickly turned back to Port Sudan again to start the “ferry” from Port Sudan to Jeddah Port model. In a few days, the range of the two warships exceeded 1140 nautical miles, the command process was smooth, the officers and soldiers cooperated tacitly, and the equipment performance was good.
On April 29, Pakistani citizens evacuated from Sudan arrived at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia aboard the Chinese navy ship Weishanhu.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Haizhou
On April 29, the spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense announced that the Chinese army had completed the task of evacuating Chinese personnel in Sudan. The Chinese Navy not only evacuated 940 Chinese citizens from Port Sudan, but also evacuated 231 foreigners at the request of relevant countries.
On April 29, Brazilian citizens evacuated from Sudan arrived at the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia aboard the Chinese navy ship Weishanhu.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Haizhou
“This shows that the Chinese navy already has capabilities commensurate with China’s international status and national security and development interests.” Li Jian, a military expert, said that the evacuation operation has tested the maneuverability of Chinese naval ships and the professionalism of naval officers and soldiers. , It also shows the good international image of the Chinese government and the Chinese military. It is a “Red Sea Operation” that practices the concepts of a community with a shared future for mankind and a community with a shared future for the oceans. The Weishanhu ship has also become the only warship of the Chinese navy that has participated in two evacuation operations.
As early as 2015, during the Yemen evacuation operation, the Weishanhu ship, the Linyi ship, and the Weifang ship formed a formation to evacuate more than 900 personnel to a safe area in five batches, including 279 foreign personnel from 15 countries.
At present, the Chinese Navy’s guided missile destroyer Nanning and comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu, which successfully completed the mission of evacuating Chinese personnel in Sudan, have left the Red Sea and joined the guided missile frigate Sanya, which is escorting the Gulf of Aden, to continue the escort mission.
On April 29, two children evacuated from Sudan arrived at Jeddah Port in Saudi Arabia aboard the Chinese Navy’s Weishanhu ship.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Haizhou
In the waters of the Gulf of Aden, the Chinese naval escort fleet has rotated to the 43rd batch, providing security escort for more than 7,100 passing Chinese and foreign ships. On April 28, the 44th escort formation consisting of the guided missile destroyer Zibo, the guided missile frigate Jingzhou, and the comprehensive supply ship Qiandaohu set sail from Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, and headed to the Gulf of Aden to take over the escort mission of the 43rd escort formation.
The compatriots evacuated from Sudan have successively returned to their motherland on chartered flights arranged by the Chinese government. It won’t be long before the Chinese naval warships that stand up when the country is in need and the people are in danger will also accept the embrace of the motherland.