KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 ― The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al Mustafa Billah Shah has expressed his happiness and gratefulness that 30 Malaysians safely returned yesterday from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan which is mired in armed conflict.

Al-Sultan Abdullah in an Istana Negara Facebook post also expressed his appreciation of the government of Malaysia especially the Malaysian operation team and in Sudan, the effort of the Malaysian Ambassador to Sudan (Mohamad Razdan Jamil), in the mission to bring the Malaysians back home.

He also conveyed his appreciation to the leaders and governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their assistance in the operation.

Apart from that, Al-Sultan Abdullah also thanked the people and mosques for carrying out prayers for the safety and well-being of the Malaysians in Sudan following an armed conflict in the country.

Yesterday, 30 Malaysians comprising Wisma Putra officers, Petronas workers and students arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport via a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Jeddah.

On Thursday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir was reported as saying that the Malaysians would be brought home in a rescue mission by the Sudan Ops Special Team which would be more difficult without the involvement of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

According to Zambry, Al-Sultan Abdullah personally contacted the President of UAE for assistance in the operation to rescue the Malaysians from Sudan while the Prime Minister contacted the leader of Sudan to obtain a safe route over 1,233 kilometres from Khartoum to Port Sudan, to ensure the success of the complex operation. ― Bernama