A first group of Dutch citizens has been evacuated from Sudan, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Sunday.

Hoekstra said a "handful" of Dutch people had managed to leave Khartoum on a French plane, in what he said had been "a very complex operation" carried out with the help of France, Germany and other countries.

The minister said he hoped a larger group would be able to leave on Sunday night, using two military planes the Netherlands sent to Jordan last week to help with evacuation efforts.

A total of around 150 Dutch citizens has requested evacuation, the Dutch government said in a letter to parliament on Sunday.