Filipino student recounts long, dangerous escape from Sudan conflict

Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt=" This photo shows overseas Filipino workers crossing the border from Sudan to Egypt. Department of Foreign Affairs, Handout" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/05/04/20230428-sudan-filipino-repatriation-ho-1.jpg"/><figcaption>This photo shows overseas Filipino workers crossing the border from Sudan to Egypt. Department of Foreign Affairs, Handout</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — A Filipino student who escaped the deadly conflict in Sudan on Thursday described the dire situation in the North African nation.According to Norhad Langiles, aside from not trying not to get caught in the crossfire, they also had to evade looters who targeted evacuees.The looters attacked in groups and ransacked vehicles, he told ANC.&quot;Doon ako natakot kasi napuno ang kalsada dahil sa kanila. Tapos sabi ko sa mga kasamahan ko kasi lahat kami estudyante, sabi ko sa kanila, i-close niyo &#x27;yung bintana,&quot; Langiles told &quot;Rundown&quot;.&quot;Sabi ko, huwag kayong sumilip kasi &#x27;pag nakita tayo ngayon na mga foreigner tayo baka harangin nila &#x27;yung bus natin tapos pasukin nila tayo, kunin ang mga gamit natin,&quot; he added.(That&#x27;s when I got afraid, the streets were full of them. I told my companions, because we were all students, to close the windows. I said that if they see we&#x27;re foreigners, they could block our bus, go inside, and take our things.)Langiles was taking up Islamic Studies in Sudan.To escape the fighting in Sudanese capital Khartoum, he and other Filipinos traveled by bus for 12 hours to Arqeen border crossing in Egypt.Langiles said they stayed at the border for 2 days while waiting for the country&#x27;s ambassador to arrive.&quot;Gutom, puyat, pagod, walang inumin, uhaw, lahat naranasan namin. Nung dumating sila... dun nabuhayan kami,&quot; he said. (Hunger, lack of sleep, fatigue, thirst: we experienced everything. When they got there, our spirits lifted.)Langiles and his companions then traveled for 6 hours to the southern Egyptian city of Aswan before their flight to Cairo and back in Manila.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/05/03/23/more-filipinos-who-fled-sudan-violence-arrive-in-ph">More than 430,000 flee homes amid Sudan fighting: UN</a></li></ul>So far, some 106 Filipinos are already back home.According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, some 661 out of 750 Filipinos were evacuated from Khartoum.Other evacuees in Cairo are still waiting for their repatriation flights.Psychosocial intervention was immediately provided for those who were sent home.The fighting in Sudan has caused more than 330,000 people to flee their homes within the country, with over 100,000 others escaping over the borders, the United Nations said on Tuesday.The UN&#x27;s s High Commissioner for Refugees is estimating that around 800,000 people could potentially flee to neighboring countries as the conflict continues in Sudan between the army and a paramilitary group.The turmoil could deepen further in the power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).Sudan was ruled for decades by Islamist-backed strongman Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted by the military in 2019 after mass pro-democracy protests.The coup brought Burhan and Daglo to power, and they seized full control in another coup, in 2021, before turning on each 3 weeks ago.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/05/02/23/over-430000-flee-homes-amid-sudan-fighting-un">More than 430,000 flee homes amid Sudan fighting: UN</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2603728" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

A Filipino student who escaped the deadly conflict in Sudan on Thursday described the dire situation in the North African nation

Filipino student recounts long, dangerous escape from Sudan conflict | ABS-CBN

Halalan 2025

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Sports

More

Traffic

News

Filipino student recounts long, dangerous escape from Sudan conflict

Filipino student recounts long, dangerous escape from Sudan conflict

Davinci Maru,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 04, 2023 02:08 PM PHT

Read More:

Sudan

Khartoum

war

conflict

repatriation

evacuation

Cairo

Egypt

Sudan conflict

Filipino student

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Advertise with Us

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.