A military aircraft on its mission to evacuate South Korean nationals in war-torn Sudan arrived at a US base in the nearby Djibouti on Saturday, the defense ministry said.

The C-130J transport plane, carrying some 50 personnel, including security and medical staff, left for Djibouti the previous day, as the airport in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum is currently closed.

The evacuation plan came as the fighting between rival forces in the African nation has been intensifying recently. The total number of South Koreans in Sudan is estimated at 29.

Earlier in the day, President Yoon Suk Yeol also ordered the swift deployment of an anti-piracy naval unit to waters off Sudan to protect South Korean nationals. The 304-strong Cheonghae Unit is currently docked at the Port of Salalah in Oman.

The instruction came in order to prepare for a situation in which the nationals cannot access the airport.

South Korea is also considering an evacuation of its embassy in Sudan, according to sources.

The foreign ministry, meanwhile, said it has sent a separate team of eight staff members, including four personnel from its embassy in Ethiopia, to Djibouti to operate a task force team and work with the military for the safety of South Korean nationals in Sudan. (Yonhap)