The U.S. government is working to evacuate American citizens from war-torn Sudan, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday, a day after special forces swiftly evacuated the U.S. Embassy.
What You Need To Know
- The U.S. government is working to evacuate American citizens from war-torn Sudan, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday, a day after special forces swiftly evacuated the U.S. Embassy
- An armed conflict erupted this month between two rival Sudanese commanders fighting for control of the East African nation, killing more than 400 people
- On Sunday, President Joe Biden ordered the military to send about 100 troops in three MH-47 helicopters into the embassy in Khartoum to evacuate roughly 70 American employees who remained there, U.S. officials said
- The federal government is “actively facilitating” the evacuation of American citizens who want to leave Sudan, Sullivan said Monday during a White House news briefing
An armed conflict erupted this month between two rival Sudanese commanders fighting for control of the East African nation, killing more than 400 people.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden ordered the military to send about 100 troops in three MH-47 helicopters into the embassy in Khartoum to evacuate roughly 70 American employees who remained there, U.S. officials said.
The federal government is “actively facilitating” the evacuation of American citizens who want to leave Sudan, Sullivan said Monday during a White House news briefing.
Sullivan said the U.S. has deployed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to help ensure convoys carrying people who are fleeing can travel safely. The government also is moving naval asset into the region to help American citizens arriving at the Port of Sudan, who are initially sent to diplomatic facilities in neighboring countries.
Additionally, the U.S. is helping allied countries evacuate their citizens, he added.
About 16,000 U.S. citizens had been estimated to be in Sudan. The State Department has warned Americans for years not to travel to the country because of ongoing civil unrest, crime, terrorism and kidnapping.
“We continue to condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence between the SAF [ Sudanese Armed Forces] and the RSF [Rapid Support Forces],” Sullivan said.
“This tragic violence has already cost the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians,” he added. “It is unconscionable. It must stop.”
Sullivan said three factors spurred Biden to order Sunday’s evacuation: assurances that it was a viable operation, the likelihood that the conflict in Sudan would persist for some time and concerns about “how long you can sustain a platform with the full complement of U.S. personnel living at an embassy indefinitely while fighting is raging and supplies are difficult to obtain.”
Sullivan stressed the embassy closure is only temporary and that personnel will resume operations there after it is deemed safe. He said the U.S. is executing a contingency plan to help protect the embassy compound for the coming weeks, although he added that it “can’t guarantee” security.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military remains “prepared for a range of contingencies” in Sudan, Sullivan said without going into detail. He, however, noted that no troops were placed on the ground there except during Sunday’s embassy evacuation.
