President Joe Biden said on Saturday that US government personnel had been evacuated from Sudan.
“Today, following my orders, the US military conducted an operation to evacuate US government personnel from Khartoum,” Biden said in a statement.
In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said all US personnel and their families had been evacuated and operations at the US embassy in Khartoum were “temporarily suspended”.
A group of just over 100 special operations forces participated in the extraction. The operation was led by US Africa Command and carried out in close coordination with the State Department, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. ( The United States Has Evacuated American Diplomatic Personnel From Sudan)
The decision to evacuate US personnel comes after a week of heavy fighting between rival military factions, the Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF, and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, that have left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
‘The Only Really Viable Option’
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Blinken said that the “widespread fighting … posed an unacceptable risk to our embassy staff,” noting that “suspending operations at one of our embassies is always a difficult decision, but our staff is Safety is my first responsibility.”
John Bass, undersecretary of administration, said on Saturday that temporarily closing the embassy was “really the only practical option we have in this matter.”
“As a result of the intensity of the conflict and the challenges our diplomatic staff is facing in conducting basic operations and the uncertainty surrounding the future availability of key supplies such as fuel and food, we have reluctantly decided that it is time to suspend operations. ”, he told reporters on a briefing call.
Bass said that fewer than 100 people were evacuated from the US embassy, including “a small number of diplomatic professionals from other countries”.
“We do not have US government personnel in Khartoum at this time,” Bass said, but still “a substantial number of our local personnel are supporting the embassy in a caretaker status.”
Lt. Gen. D.A. Sims, Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He said US special operations forces spent less than an hour on the ground in Sudan during the evacuation. The troops took off from Djibouti at 9 am. EST and landed in Ethiopia to refuel before heading to Khartoum. (The United States Has Evacuated American Diplomatic Personnel From Sudan)
“Evacuation was done in a single movement by means of rotating fins. The operation was quick and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum,” Sims said. “The evacuees are safe and secure as we speak.”
The US “does not expect the US government to coordinate evacuation for our fellow citizens”
A State Department spokesperson confirmed on Sunday that the department “notified the US civilian community through consular channels of the organization of two convoys assisted by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.”
The Message Told Americans They Would Travel At Their Own Risk.
Message sent to US citizens in Sudan A senior State Department official said on Saturday that the US government “does not expect to coordinate the US government evacuation for our fellow citizens in Sudan. Now or in the next few days.”
A senior Pentagon official stated that “in the coming days, we will continue to work with the State Department to assist American citizens who wish to leave Sudan.”
“One of those ways is to potentially make land routes out of Sudan more viable,” Chris Mair, the secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, said on a call with reporters.
Meier said the Defense Department is “currently considering actions that may include the use of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats.”
“Second, the employment of naval assets from Port Sudan to potentially assist Americans arriving at the port, and third, the establishment of a US Africa Command conflict resolution cell in Stuttgart focused specifically on the land route,” he said.
Biden said he is receiving “regular updates from my team about our ongoing work to help Americans in Sudan.” Blinken said the US government “will continue to help Americans in Sudan plan for their own safety and provide regular updates to US citizens in the region.” (The United States Has Evacuated American Diplomatic Personnel From Sudan)
On Friday, Vedanta Patel, the State Department’s principal deputy spokesman, said he had been in contact with “several hundred American citizens who we understand are in Sudan” to “discuss security precautions and other steps they can take themselves.” “,
The State Department does not keep an official count of American citizens abroad, and Americans are not required to register when traveling abroad. Officials told staff on Wednesday that there could be an estimated 16,000 US citizens in Sudan, most of whom are dual citizens.
Following the evacuation and suspension of embassy operations, the State Department updated its travel advisory for Sudan, stating that due to the current security situation, “the US government is suspending US citizens in Sudan.” Unable to provide consular services for routine or emergencies. Your travel advice remains at Level 4: Do not travel.
Call For An End To The Violence
US officials insisted they would continue their efforts to end the violence, which Biden called “unimaginable”, and would work to extend the ceasefire, which the two sides held for the Eid al-Fitr holiday. had agreed. Despite the declared commitments to that ceasefire, fighting continues.
“We remind both belligerents of their obligations under international humanitarian law, including those relating to the protection of civilians,” Blinken said.
Undersecretary of State for African Affairs Molly Fee told reporters on Saturday that the United States “is in close contact with Sudan’s military and civilian leadership to see if we can find a path to extend and broaden the ceasefire.” Can help them identify. To reach a permanent settlement. Armistice”.
Fee praised the efforts of international partners, particularly Ethiopia, for their role in the successful American evacuation.
“Last night, Secretary Blinken consulted with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, who offered full support for Ethiopia’s overflight and refueling capabilities, which were critical to the success of the operation,” he said.
The aircraft used in the evacuation were refueled in Ethiopia, which borders Sudan, during the mission.
In his statement, Biden thanked Djibouti, Ethiopia,00000000000000 and Saudi Arabia, saying they were “critical to the success of our operations.” (The United States Has Evacuated American Diplomatic Personnel From Sudan)
The SAF said in a statement on Saturday that its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had “agreed to provide the necessary assistance” to facilitate the safe evacuation of foreign nationals from the country in response to “calls from various heads of state”. of the states.”
RSF said in a statement issued overnight Khartoum time that it had coordinated the evacuation with the United States. “It wasn’t,” said Bass, the assistant secretary of administration.
“They cooperated to the extent that they did not fire at our forces during the operation,” he added. “I would say it’s in their self-interest as much as anything else.”
