Sudan fighting: US military evacuates diplomats from Khartoum

President Joe Biden said US forces had evacuated an American diplomat and his family from Khartoum.

“Today, on my orders, the US military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum,” he said in a statement.

US officials said three Chinook helicopters landed near the US embassy and fewer than 100 people were evacuated early Sunday morning to collect them.

Violent violence broke out between two opposing armies in Khartoum last week.

A power struggle between the Sudanese regular army and a militia called the Rapid Support Force (RSF) has led to heavy artillery shelling in the capital, killing hundreds and wounding thousands.

In a post-mission press conference, Lieutenant General Douglas Sims said more than 100 US troops from Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces flew from Djibouti to Ethiopia to Sudan and were on the ground in less than an hour.

He described it as a “quick and clean” operation.

Biden thanked Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia for “playing an important role in the success of our operation” and warmly commended U.S. embassy officials and the military.

The US Embassy in Khartoum is currently closed.

a Tweet on the official feed states that the U.S. government cannot provide consular services to citizens of Sudan and that the government is not safe enough to evacuate civilian U.S. citizens.

It was the second evacuation of foreigners since violence broke out in the Sudan capital last week.

More than 150 citizens, diplomats and international officials were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah on Saturday. Most of them were citizens of the Gulf countries as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Canada.

And on Sunday, France’s foreign ministry announced it was beginning to evacuate French citizens and diplomats from the country. The ministry said it had launched a “rapid evacuation operation” and that European citizens and those from “allies” would also be supported.

Reuters quoted a U.S. official as saying that several diplomats from other countries had also been evacuated during the U.S. operation, and no U.S. aircraft were attacked during that time.

Khartoum Airport has been repeatedly targeted by artillery and gunfire, making evacuation flights from it impossible.

“I receive regular reports from my team on ongoing work to help Americans in Sudan as much as possible,” Biden said in a statement.

He condemned the fighting and said rival forces “must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the Sudanese people.”

The UK says it is considering ways to evacuate staff. A hotline has been set up for those in need of urgent assistance, and British citizens in Sudan are asked to inform the Foreign Office of their whereabouts.

UK evacuations are expected to be very limited and focused on diplomatic staff. No match for the mass evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government has instructed Sudanese citizens to “seek to safety,” charge their phones, lock their doors and windows, and “consider leaving the country if it is safe to do so.” bottom.

Heavy fighting broke out in Khartoum on 15 April.

At its heart is a power struggle between forces loyal to Sudanese military commander Abdel Fattah al-Bahhan and the rival RSF.

Near-constant shooting and bombing in Khartoum and elsewhere cut off large portions of the population from safe access to electricity and food and water.

Several ceasefires that appeared to have been agreed upon by both sides were ignored, including a three-day moratorium to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which began on Friday.

The World Health Organization says more than 400 people have been killed and thousands injured in the fighting. However, the death toll is believed to be much higher as people struggle to get to hospitals.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired an emergency government Cobra meeting on Saturday to assess the crisis in Sudan, with more meetings scheduled for Sunday.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverley interrupted his Pacific visit and returned to London.

Some British citizens trapped in Sudan have expressed frustration and anxiety about the lack of air travel.

Iman Abu Garga, a British visitor to Khartoum, said he had registered himself and his two children as instructed but “hasn’t done anything since”.

“We don’t know anything about timescales or timeframes. We don’t know how it will be. Will it be flown in from Khartoum airport? Will we have to go by land? People No contact with anyone,” she complained.

Another Briton living in Khartoum told the BBC that he felt “totally abandoned” by the British government and had been given “absolutely not much information” about possible evacuation plans.

A Sudanese military statement on Saturday said General Burhan had agreed to facilitate and secure the evacuation of foreigners “in the coming hours.”

British, American, French and Chinese citizens and diplomats said they would be evacuated from Khartoum aboard military transport planes.

The British government said it was “doing everything possible to support British citizens and diplomats in Khartoum”.

Along with Khartoum, the western regions of Darfur, where the RSF first appeared, have also been severely affected by the fighting.

The United Nations has issued a warning to up to 20,000 people, mostly women and children, who have fled Sudan seeking safety in Chad across the Darfur border.