The Swedish parliament has given the government the necessary approval to send an armed force to evacuate citizens from Sudan, where fighting has been raging for a week.
The Riksdag approved a proposal to allow the government to provide a unit of up to 400 soldiers for the mission. The force would be allowed to evacuate Swedish and foreign citizens from Sudan, according to the Foreign Affairs Committee's proposal.
It said the deployment should be closely coordinated with other countries and international organizations.
The approval comes a day after Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström and Defence Minister Pål Jonson said they would ask parliament to approve the possible deployment of an armed unit.
Parliamentary approval is needed in Sweden if armed forces are to be sent abroad. The unit should be able to carry out protection, rescue and liberation missions on its own or together with partner countries, Jonson said.
Details on when and how the deployment will take place are still unclear but the government had indicated that the evacuation unit would be on its way within 24 hours. Initially, it is expected to comprise of about 150 members of the armed forces.
