The General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces issued an explanatory statement, on Thursday.
In its statement it confirmed that it had mentioned the phrase “detainees” in a previous media release regarding the evacuation of Egyptian Air Force crews from Sudan.
The office of the official spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces said that “those who were evacuated, despite their presence in the city of Meroe during the rebellion, were not captured by the rebel militia due to their presence outside the airport at the moment of the aggression.”
The office apologized for the confusion that occurred in the statement, stressing that the term “detainees” was inaccurate and misused.
It added that “those who were captured by the rebels were 28 in total and that they are still in the hands of the rebel militia.
The militia takes full responsibility for the consequences of their actions and detention to this day.”
The Sudanese Armed Forces said also released on Wednesday that “177 members in total of the technical crews of the Egyptian Air Force in Sudan have been evacuated.”