SINGAPORE - Two Singaporean families have been evacuated from Khartoum, the Sudanese capital that has been in the grip of heavy fighting between two military factions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Thursday in response to The Straits Times’ queries that 14 Singaporeans and a family member were safely evacuated from Khartoum to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

They were evacuated together with a group of Malaysians and other nationals with help from the governments of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, said an MFA spokesman.

“Since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, MFA has been rendering consular assistance to the Singaporeans in Sudan and exploring options to evacuate them,” said the spokesman.

“The Singapore embassies in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, as well as the Singapore Consulate-General in Jeddah, worked closely with their host governments and Malaysian embassy counterparts to facilitate the Singaporean families’ departure from Khartoum to Jeddah,” said the spokesman.

The spokesman added that the Government would like to express its deepest gratitude to the governments of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for facilitating the safe return of Singapore citizens.

Writing on his Twitter page, Singapore’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Wong Chow Ming said the “perilous journey” was a “truly multinational humanitarian mission”.

The 14 Singaporeans were evacuated from Sudan aboard a Saudi ship, the HMS Abha, the Singapore Consulate-General in Jeddah wrote on its Facebook page.

Earlier in April, Khartoum was plunged into conflict after a long-simmering dispute between the army and Sudan’s main paramilitary force exploded into a full-blown battle for control of the North African nation.

The intense clashes killed hundreds of people and sent thousands fleeing for safety, while a burgeoning civil war threatens to destabilise the wider region.

As the fighting eased on Tuesday in the city of five million people, foreign governments organised road convoys, aircraft and ships to get their nationals out.

A ship carrying nearly 1,700 civilians from more than 50 countries docked in Saudi Arabia early on Wednesday, said the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry.