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Washington (CNN) President Joe Biden said on Saturday that U.S. government employees had been evacuated from Sudan.
“Today, on my orders, the U.S. military conducted an operation to extract U.S. officials from Khartoum,” Biden said in a statement.
In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said that all US personnel and their families had been evacuated and that activities at the US Embassy in Khartoum had been “temporarily suspended.”
A group of over 100 special operations forces were involved in the extraction. The operation was led by U.S. Africa Command and conducted in close coordination with the State Department, said U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The decision to evacuate American personnel came after a week of heavy fighting between the Sudanese Army (SAF) and the Rapid Relief Force (RSF) that left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
“The only truly viable option”
“The widespread fighting… posed an unacceptable risk to embassy staff,” Blinken said, adding, “Suspension of operations at one of the embassies is always a difficult decision, but the safety of the staff is my first priority.” It’s a responsibility,” he said.
Under Secretary of State John Bass said on Saturday that temporarily closing the embassy was “the only really viable option for us in this case.”
“As a result of the intensity of the conflict, the challenges diplomatic personnel were experiencing in carrying out basic operations, and the uncertainty about the availability of critical commodities such as fuel and food, we reluctantly launched operations. I decided it was time to stop,” he said at a press conference.
Fewer than 100 people were evacuated from the US embassy, including “a small number of foreign policy experts from other countries,” according to John Bass.
“There are no U.S. government employees remaining in Khartoum at this time,” Bass said, but “a significant number of local staff in support of the embassy are in interim positions.”
The evacuation plan “was no hoax,” said Lt. Gen. DA Sims, director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
US special operations forces spent less than an hour on the ground in Sudan during the evacuation, he said. The troops took off from Djibouti at 9am ET and landed in Ethiopia to refuel before heading to Khartoum.
“Evacuation took place in one movement via the rotor. The operation was quick and clean, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum,” Sims said. “As we speak, the evacuees are safe.”
US ‘does not foresee coordinating US government evacuation for fellow countrymen’
Measures were taken to evacuate civil servants, The U.S. government “does not foresee coordinating U.S. government evacuations for fellow citizens of Sudan at this time or in the coming days,” Bass said Saturday.
However, a senior Pentagon official said, “Over the next few days, we will work with the State Department to assist American citizens who wish to leave Sudan.”
“One way to do that is to potentially make land routes from Sudan more viable,” Chris Meyer, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflicts, said on a conference call with reporters. .
Meyer said the Department of Defense is “currently considering actions that may include the use of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to enable us to observe routes and detect threats.”
“Secondly, the employment of naval assets outside Sudan’s ports to potentially assist Americans arriving in port, and thirdly, the establishment of a conflict resolution cell in Stuttgart at the United States Africa Command. focused specifically on land routes,” he said.
“I receive regular reports from my team on the ongoing work to help Americans in Sudan as much as possible,” Biden said. Blinken said the US government “will continue to assist Americans in Sudan in planning for their own safety and will provide regular updates to US citizens in the region.”
On Friday, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel contacted “hundreds of American citizens we understand to be in Sudan” and asked them to “safety precautions they can take on their own.” and other measures,” he said.
The State Department does not keep official numbers of US citizens abroad, and US citizens are not required to register when going abroad. Officials told staff Wednesday that there may be an estimated 16,000 American citizens in Sudan, most of whom are dual citizens.
Following the evacuation and suspension of embassy operations, the State Department updated its travel advisory for Sudan, stating that the current security situation “prevents the U.S. government from providing routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Sudan.” Stated. Its travel advisory remains Level 4: Do not travel.
call for an end to violence
U.S. officials continue efforts to end violence Biden called “unconscionable” and work to extend bilateral ceasefire for Eid al-Fitr holiday Despite its declared commitment to a ceasefire, fighting continues.
“It reminds both belligerent states of their obligations under international humanitarian law, including obligations related to the protection of civilians,” Brinken said.
Molly Feee, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told reporters that the United States “will be in close contact with Sudan’s military and civilian leaders to ensure that they can extend and expand the Eid al-Fitr ceasefire into a sustainable one.” We are seeing if we can identify a path to reach an agreement.” Cessation of hostilities. “
Fee praised the efforts of international partners, especially Ethiopia, for the role they played in the successful withdrawal of the United States.
“Later last night, Secretary Brinken held talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who offered Ethiopia’s full support for the overflight and refueling capabilities critical to the success of the operation,” she said. .
During the mission, the aircraft used for evacuation was refueled in Ethiopia, which borders Sudan.
In a statement, Mr Biden thanked Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, which he said were “critical to the success of our operation”.
The SAF said in a statement earlier on Saturday that its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said it was “necessary to facilitate the safe evacuation of foreign citizens from the country in response to calls from many leaders.” We have agreed to provide our support,” he said. of the state. ”
In a statement posted on the evening of Khartoum time, RSF said it had coordinated with the US regarding the evacuation. “It wasn’t,” Bass, the undersecretary of management, said.
“They cooperated to the extent that they did not fire at our soldiers during the operation,” he said. “I would argue that it is in their self interest above all else.”
CNN’s Eyad Kourdi and Kanita Iyer contributed to this report.
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