Sudan’s army says evacuations of diplomats expected to begin : NPR

Smoke can be seen in Khartoum, Sudan on Saturday. Fighting has resumed in the capital between the Sudanese army and rapid assistance forces after an internationally brokered ceasefire failed.

Marwan Ali/AP

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Marwan Ali/AP

Smoke can be seen in Khartoum, Sudan on Saturday. Fighting has resumed in the capital between the Sudanese army and rapid assistance forces after an internationally brokered ceasefire failed.

Marwan Ali/AP

Khartoum, Sudan — The Sudanese military on Saturday is coordinating efforts to evacuate foreign civilians and diplomats from Sudan with military planes as the bloody fighting that engulfed the vast African country enters its second week. said.

Army Secretary General Abdel Fattah Burhan said he would facilitate the evacuation of American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan after speaking with leaders of several countries that have requested assistance. . The prospect worries officials as most major airports have turned into battlefields and traveling from the capital Khartoum has proved too dangerous.

The Sudanese military said Barhan “agreed to provide the necessary assistance to ensure such evacuation for various countries.”

With Sudan’s main international airport closed and millions sheltering indoors, questions are swirling over how the mass rescue of foreign citizens will unfold.Sudan led by Barhan Other countries are struggling to repatriate their citizens as the war between the military and powerful rival militias intensifies, including in Khartoum and its surrounding residential areas.

The White House did not confirm the Sudanese military’s announcement. The National Security Council said it “made it clear to both sides that they have a responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians and non-combatants.” On Friday, the United States said it had no government-coordinated plans to evacuate the estimated 16,000 American citizens trapped in Sudan.

Saudi Arabia announced the successful repatriation of some of its citizens on Saturday, showing footage of Saudi citizens and other foreigners being welcomed with chocolates and flowers as they disembarked from evacuation ships at the Saudi port of Jeddah. shared.

Officials did not explain exactly how the rescue unfolded, but Barhan said Saudi diplomats and citizens would first travel by land to Port Sudan, the country’s main port on the Red Sea. He said Jordanian diplomats would soon be evacuated as well. The port is located in the Far East of Sudan, approximately 840 kilometers (520 miles) from Khartoum.

The US embassy in Sudan said in a security alert that the situation remained dangerous with “incomplete information regarding a significant convoy leaving Khartoum and en route to Sudan ports”. Traveling in the city is at your own risk,” it said.

As the United States initially focused on evacuating diplomats, the Pentagon said it was moving additional troops and equipment to its naval base in the small country of Djibouti’s Gulf of Aden to prepare for the effort. rice field.

Barhan told Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadas on Saturday that flights in and out of Khartoum remained dangerous as clashes continued. He claimed his forces had regained control of all other airports in the country, except his one in the southwestern city of Nyala.

“We share the international community’s concerns about foreigners,” he said. “Living conditions are getting worse”

In a separate interview with the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya satellite channel, Barhan promised that Sudan would provide “necessary airports and safe passageways” for foreigners caught in the fighting.

Multiple ceasefire attempts failed

Explosions and shootings rang out across Khartoum on Saturday, even though the warring parties said on Friday they had agreed to a ceasefire ahead of the three-day Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. His two ceasefire attempts earlier this week also collapsed quickly. The turmoil has dealt a perhaps fatal blow to the country’s hopes for a transition to a civilian-led democracy, and raised concerns that the turmoil could be drawn to neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt and Libya.

“The war has been going on since day one. It doesn’t stop for a moment,” said Atiyah Abdallah Atiyah, secretary of the Sudan Medical Corps who is monitoring the casualties. More than 400 people have died in the clashes so far, according to the World Health Organization. Artillery shelling, gunfights and sniper fire in populated areas have hit civilian infrastructure, including many hospitals.

An international airport near the center of the capital came under heavy artillery fire as paramilitary groups known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attempted to take control of the facility. In an apparent effort to expel the RSF fighters, Sudanese forces bombed the airport, destroying at least one runway and scattering wrecked planes along the runway. remains.

The conflict has opened a dangerous new chapter in Sudan’s history and plunged the country into uncertainty.

“No one can predict when or how this war will end,” Barhan told Al-Hadass. “I’m currently in command, just put in a coffin.”

The current outburst of violence stems from recent international brokerage deals between Burhan and RSF chief Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo with democracy activists intended to incorporate the RSF into the military and ultimately lead to civilian rule. It happened after we broke up at

Rival generals rose to power in the tumultuous aftermath of a popular uprising that led to the ouster of Sudan’s longtime ruler, Omar al-Bashir, in 2019. Two years later, they joined forces in a coup to oust the civilian leader.

Both the military and the RSF have long histories of human rights abuses. The RSF grew out of Janjaweed militias accused of atrocities in suppressing rebellion in the Darfur region of western Sudan in the early 2000s.

Many Sudanese fear the violence will only escalate as tens of thousands of foreign citizens try to leave, despite repeated promises by their generals.

“I am convinced that both sides of the fighting care more about the lives of foreigners than the lives of Sudanese citizens,” said Atiyah.