Evacuates US diplomats and closes embassy
The United States, Great Britain, France and China prefer to use military transport planes to evacuate their citizens and diplomatic personnel. Struggling so far thwarts action.
Staff out of country: The US Embassy in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, is closed. (archive image)
AFP/Ashraf Shazel
Media reported that the United States has taken its diplomatic staff out of the country in view of the heavy fighting in Sudan. The Washington Post and ABC and CBS broadcasts reported Sunday night that the airlift was successful, citing government sources. The US Embassy in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, is closed. According to CNN, all US diplomats stationed in Sudan and their families were on military planes. There was initially no official confirmation or information about where the embassy staff had been taken.
For days, the U.S. military, along with other Western countries, had been preparing to evacuate their own citizens. Additional armed forces were transferred to Sudan’s neighboring countries. Fierce fighting in and around the airport in Khartoum has so far prevented foreigners from leaving the northeast African country. The U.S. government had previously made it clear that Americans who are not in Sudan as diplomats or diplomatic staff cannot expect to be taken out of the country.
The current president has approved the expulsion
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto president and military commander, had previously agreed to expel civilians and diplomatic officials.
The United States, Britain, France and China will begin evacuating the capital Khartoum using military transport planes “in the coming hours,” a military spokesman said in a statement on Saturday. However, as of Saturday evening, no westerners had been evacuated.
States did not initially provide detailed information about their plans on Saturday. Fierce fighting in and around the contested airport in Khartoum has so far prevented foreigners from flying out.
Al-Burhan has therefore pledged to “facilitate and guarantee” the evacuation and “provide the necessary support to ensure this” to the countries. The RSF, an opposition paramilitary force that has been openly fighting the Sudanese army for the past week, said in a statement it was “prepared for a full ceasefire” during an agreed ceasefire to allow evacuations. Agreed ceasefires have been repeatedly violated.
A military spokesman said the Saudi delegation had already been evacuated from the eastern city of Port Sudan. A Jordanian delegation is also due to fly out of Port Sudan later Saturday. There are almost 850 kilometers between Khartoum and Port Sudan.
According to Saudi television channel Al-Arabiya, five Saudi ships brought 158 people from Sudan to the Saudi port of Jeddah on the Red Sea. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said diplomats and citizens from Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Canada, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan, Burkina Faso and the Philippines were on board.
Since last Saturday, the northeast African country’s military has been in a power struggle against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary unit once allied with the coalition. The airport in Khartoum has been the focus of hostilities since the beginning of the conflict and was therefore inaccessible. Diplomats have been trying for days to find a flexible ceasefire for the withdrawal.
FDFA is in contact with third countries
as requested”20 minutes» One can participate in the rescue operations of other states because of their nexus with third countries. Options and actions that can be taken are constantly being explored.
The US Embassy in Khartoum announced on Saturday Constant fights The closure of the airport in the capital currently prevents the evacuation of private US citizens. The embassy continues to closely monitor the situation in and around Khartoum, a statement said. Apart from fighting, incidents such as house breaking and robbery are happening now.
It said the embassy also received incomplete information about convoys traveling from Khartoum to Port Sudan. Embassy cannot support convoys; As per the notification, traveling with you is at your own risk.
In Germany, according to the Defense Ministry, the Bundeswehr is making preparations for a new effort to evacuate German citizens. On Wednesday, a diplomatic evacuation attempt using Luftwaffe aircraft, but without a large military deployment, was abandoned.
SDA/ij
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