KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — All 48 Malaysians in Sudan are reported to be safe following the latest political and security developments in the country.

Wisma Putra in a statement today said the Embassy of Malaysia in Khartoum has been in close contact with all the registered Malaysians including 26 students in Sudan and was monitoring the situation closely.

"All Malaysians who are still in Sudan, particularly those who are in the country for non-essential reasons are encouraged to consider leaving by commercial means at the earliest possible time.

"Malaysians who are planning to visit Sudan are advised to defer their travel until the situation is more stable,” it said.

The Embassy in Sudan also welcomes the recent agreement reached between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Alliance of Freedom and Changes Forces (AFCF) to resume negotiations over the formation of a joint sovereign council that will lead the political transition in the country.

"Malaysia calls upon all parties in Sudan to exercise the utmost restraint to prevent any further violence against civilians and ensure respect for human rights.

"We strongly deplore the recent violent and deadly attack on the protesters in recent weeks and join others in the call for the incidents to be thoroughly investigated, with those responsible held to account immediately,” it said.

Media reported that the Sudanese government today has acknowledged it ordered the crackdown on opposition protesters which left dozens of people killed and injured.

In early June, the security forces violently dispersed the sit-in protest outside the Defence Ministry building. The TMC has previously denied having a role in the operation. — Bernama