The US military evacuated American embassy officials from Sudan’s capital early on Sunday morning, starting an exodus of foreign diplomats amid continuing violence as rival military leaders battled for control of Africa’s third-largest country. The White House announced the move in an overnight statement from President Joe Biden. “Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum,” Biden said in the statement, referring to the Sudanese capital.
Almost 100 people — mostly US embassy employees — were evacuated using helicopters that flew in from the nation of Djibouti, about 800 miles away, according to US officials. Just over 100 special operations troops were involved. Within hours of the US evacuation, other countries and foreign groups also mobilised to leave Khartoum. A convoy of vehicles carrying United Nations personnel left the city from the group’s headquarters in Sudan, according to a US official. France and the Netherlands also said they had begun to evacuate their nationals.
The moves came on the ninth day of brutal fighting in Khartoum and other parts of the country between the army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, whose leaders are vying for supremacy in Sudan. At least 400 people have been killed in the ensuing clashes and 3,500 injured, according to the United Nations. They include at least 256 civilians who died and 1,454 who were wounded, according to a doctors’ union. Many Sudanese people fleeing the conflict have been trying to leave the country via land borders. But several citizens said their relatives or friends had faced challenges, including not having valid passports or visas for neighbouring countries.
The fighting has left many people stranded at home without electricity, food or water, and doctors and hospitals say they are struggling to cope.
Countries follow suit
The German military has started an evacuation operation for its citizens from Sudan, a spokesperson for the defence ministry told Reuters on Sunday, declining to give any further details. Around 200 Germans are estimated to be in Sudan. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday the country’s armed forces evacuated diplomatic staff and their family mem staff and their family members from Sudan.
Sunak paid tribute to what he called a “complex and rapid” evacuation after he said there had been a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff. But British nationals living in Sudan were not rescued. “I pay tribute to the commitment of our diplomats and bravery of the military personnel who carried out this difficult operation,” Sunak said on Twitter.
“We are continuing to pursue every avenue to end the bloodshed in Sudan and ensure the safety of British nationals remaining in the country.” Canada said on Sunday that it has temporarily suspended operations in Sudan and Canadian diplomats will temporarily work from a safe location outside the country. While operations are suspended in Khartoum, limited consular services continue to be provided, the Canadian government said in a statement.
Egypt has urged its citizens outside Khartoum to head to the consulates in Port Sudan and Wadi Halfa, in the north, to prepare for evacuation and urged its nationals in Khartoum to shelter at home until the situation improved. It said one of its diplomats had been wounded by gunfire, without giving details. Saudi Arabia on Saturday pulled 91 Saudis and about 66 people from other countries out from Port Sudan by naval ship to Jeddah, across the Red Sea.
Kuwait said all citizens wishing to return home had arrived in Jeddah. Jordan said it had begun evacuating about 300 of its nationals from Port Sudan on Saturday.
