US forces evacuated embassy officials from Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Saturday.
Late Saturday, the White House said it had temporarily suspended operations at its embassy in Sudan and conducted an operation to remove US officials from Khartoum.
“The tragic violence in Sudan has already claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians,” US President Joe Biden said. “It is irrational and must stop.” Approximately 100 Special Forces personnel were involved in the mission and evacuated nearly 100 embassy personnel.
The decision highlights the vicious cycle of security in Sudan since the fierce fighting erupted last weekend Between the country’s armed forces and powerful paramilitary groups.
Sudan has been devastated by a power struggle between an army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemeti, Sudan’s vice president and commander of the Emergency Relief Force. has been destroyed.
The US State Department has refuted RSF’s claim that it assisted the evacuation. “This operation was conducted by the Department of Defense, and only by the Department of Defense,” the official said.
The Sudanese military earlier said Saudi diplomats had been evacuated, and said Britain, France and China would also send military planes to Khartoum to evacuate the diplomats “within hours”.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom had evacuated 157 people, including 91 Saudis and citizens of other countries. State TV showed naval ships arriving with evacuees in the port city of Jeddah.
Foreign governments are racing against time to evacuate their own citizens. Clashes paralyzed Khartoum Airport and destroyed numerous civilian aircraft.
French officials have refused to confirm Sudan’s claims that the evacuation of French diplomats will begin soon. But he did not rule out the possibility that diplomats could be transferred over the weekend.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired an emergency meeting Saturday morning with ministers, including Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, reflecting concerns in London about the situation in Sudan.
More than 400 people were killed in the fighting, including at least four UN aid personnel, and more than 3,500 were wounded. The State Department confirmed that an American was killed in the fighting, but gave no further details.
Three World Food Program employees and an International Organization for Migration employee were also killed, a US diplomatic convoy was attacked, and a Norwegian diplomatic residence was hit by a missile. Other diplomatic missions were also attacked.
