2023-04-22 23:59:00
US Embassy in Khartoum
Sudan
Al-Arabiya sources: Evacuations of American nationals took place with planes that landed in the embassy building in Khartoum
Al-Arabiya sources in Sudan reported that the United States evacuated its nationals from the American embassy in the suburb of Soba, south of Khartoum, with planes that landed in the embassy building in Khartoum.
And the Rapid Support Forces announced that it had coordinated with the US mission, consisting of 6 aircraft, at dawn on Sunday, with the aim of evacuating American diplomats and their families from Sudan, which has been witnessing a bloody conflict for days.
The Rapid Support Forces said in a statement that the operation takes place following arrangements that preceded the evacuation, stressing its “full cooperation with all diplomatic missions, standing by them and providing the necessary means of protection to ensure their safe return to their countries.”
And American press sources revealed that regarding 70 Americans were evacuated from Khartoum, at dawn on Sunday.
Well-informed US sources told CBS News that US government employees in Sudan will be evacuated. The sources added that there was planning throughout the week to evacuate nearly 70 US citizens working for the US government in Sudan.
Sudan’s military said on Saturday it expected countries, including the United States, to begin evacuating “in the coming hours”.
Sources familiar with the US planning told CBS News that the evacuation of the Americans from Khartoum will include approximately 70 US personnel, but the evacuation will not include hundreds of US citizens in Sudan.
The State Department acknowledges that some records show there are 16,000 US citizens in Sudan, but officials consider those numbers to be exaggerated.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that operations were still underway at that time to bring US government employees to the relative safety of the embassy and that US civilians would be responsible for their own safety and exit from the country.
Kirby acknowledged that the personnel movements were part of the preparation for the evacuation, adding, “We want to be prepared for this eventuality,” but warned that “it is a very dangerous situation in Khartoum as the fighting continues.”
On Monday, shots were fired at a US diplomatic convoy flying the American flag as security forces tried to return the Americans to the embassy.
Secretary Blinken called it a “reckless” and “irresponsible” act, and said forces allied with the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, likely fired the shots.
The US State Department said that despite the call for a ceasefire, gunfire continued as a US citizen died in Sudan on Thursday.
And as of Saturday followingnoon, no decisions have been announced on whether the State Department will close the US Embassy or what will happen with the dozens of non-US local employees working there.
Throughout the week, the Biden administration worked to gather American personnel in Khartoum and transfer them to the diplomatic compound in the capital. And US sources acknowledged the transfer of special forces to Djibouti in preparation for a possible evacuation.
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