U.S. special operations forces have evacuated the American embassy staff in Sudan.
The helicopters landed on the ground for less than an hour. No shots were fired and no major casualties were reported.
With the last U.S. employee of the embassy out, Washington closed the U.S. mission in Khartoum indefinitely. Thousands of private American citizens remaining in the east African country were left behind.
U.S. officials stated that it would be too dangerous to carry out a broader evacuation mission. Battles between two rival Sudanese commanders entered their ninth day on Sunday, April 23, 2023, forcing continued closing of the main international airport and leaving roads out of the country in control of armed men.
According to the World Health Organization, the fighting has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands. However, the death toll is believed to be much higher as people are struggling to get healthcare, as most of the city’s hospitals have been forced to close by the fighting.
An estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens are registered with the embassy as being in Sudan. The figure is rough because not all Americans register with embassy or say when they depart.
The embassy issued an alert on Saturday cautioning that “due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens.”
In a statement thanking the troops, President Joe Biden said he was receiving regular reports from his team on efforts to assist remaining Americans in Sudan “to the extent possible.”
“I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our Embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America’s friendship and connection with the people of Sudan. I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety.”
President Joe Biden
“Fast And Clean” Operation
About 100 U.S. troops in three MH-47 helicopters carried out the operation. US authorities said that they airlifted all of roughly 70 remaining American employees from a landing zone at the embassy in a “fast and clean” operation. They were sent to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia. Ethiopia also provided over flight and refueling support, Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs, disclosed.
Biden stated that Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia also assisted with the evacuation.
U.S. Africa Command and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley were in contact with both warring factions before and during the operation to ensure that U.S. forces would have safe passage to conduct the evacuation.
However, John Bass, a U.S. Undersecretary of State, denied claims by one faction, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Security Forces, that it assisted in the U.S. evacuation.
“They cooperated to the extent that they did not fire on our service members in the course of the operation,” Bass said.
Biden had ordered American troops to evacuate embassy personnel after receiving a recommendation from his national security team, with no end in sight to the fighting.
“This tragic violence in Sudan has already cost the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians. It’s unconscionable and it must stop. The belligerent parties must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the people of Sudan.”
President Joe Biden
UK also announced on Sunday that it had flown diplomats out of the country. Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Japan and the Netherlands stated that they were also organising evacuations, starting on Sunday.
Sudan’s fighting broke out April 15 between two commanders who just 18 months earlier jointly orchestrated a military coup to derail the nation’s transition to democracy.
The ongoing power struggle between the armed forces Chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Head of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has millions of Sudanese hiding inside their homes, hiding from explosions, gunfire and looting.
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