As fighting continues in Sudan, all US government employees were evacuated from Washington’s embassy in Khartoum, and a limited number of diplomats from different countries, according to US officials on Saturday.
Less than 100 individuals were evacuated as a result of the operation, officials informed reporters.
According to Under Secretary of State for Management, John Bass, “We evacuated all of the U.S. personnel and dependents assigned to Embassy Khartoum.”
As a result of security concerns, Washington chose to halt operations at the embassy in Khartoum on Saturday, although a sizable number of local employees are still there to assist it, according to Bass.
Last weekend, a bloody power battle between two formerly associated members of Sudan’s ruling council began. US urged the parties on Saturday to prolong and broaden a truce for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr to a permanent halt in hostilities.
Each side has charged the other with violating the cease-fire.
A little over 100 U.S. special operations forces participated in the Saturday evacuation operation when three MH-47 Chinook transport helicopters took off from a US base in Djibouti, stopped in Ethiopia for refueling, and then flew the final three hours to Khartoum.
Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the head of operations at the Joint Staff of the military, said, “We did not take any small-arms fire on the way in and were able to get in and out without issue.”
Bass added that Washington does not envisage coordinating a US government evacuation of American people in Sudan at the moment or in the near future. According to Bass, the US also does not expect the security situation in Sudan to change anytime in near future.
UK evacuates personnel
British Armed Forces evacuated diplomatic personnel and their families from Sudan, according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday.
After claiming that there had been a considerable uptick in violence and threats against embassy workers, Sunak praised the “complex and rapid” evacuation. However, no British nationals in Sudan were rescued.
Sunak posted on Twitter, “I pay tribute to the commitment of our diplomats and bravery of the military personnel who carried out this difficult operation.”
“We are continuing to pursue every avenue to end the bloodshed in Sudan and ensure the safety of British nationals remaining in the country.”
The rescue effort by British forces was carried out side by side American, French, and other unspecified allies, according to Britain’s defense secretary, Ben Wallace.
Eight days ago, combat broke out in Sudan between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group, killing hundreds of civilians while trapping thousands inside their houses.
