The US military has evacuated American diplomats and their families from Khartoum, President Joe Biden has announced. In a statement, he said: “Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum.” A US official said fewer than 100 people were evacuated early on Sunday, when three Chinook helicopters landed near the US embassy to collect them.
The violence in Khartoum between Sudan’s regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has seen deadly shooting and shelling in the capital city. Lt Gen Douglas Sims said more than 100 troops from the Navy Seals and Army Special Forces flew from Djibouti to Ethiopia and then into Sudan, and were on the ground for less than an hour. He said it was a “fast and clean” mission.
Mr Biden thanked Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, saying they had been “critical to the success of our operation”, and he warmly praised the US embassy staff and military. The embassy in Khartoum is now closed, and the US government cannot provide consular services for its citizens in Sudan, nor is it safe enough for the government to evacuate private US citizens. It is the second evacuation of foreign citizens since violence erupted in Sudan’s capital last week.
On Saturday, more than 150 citizens, diplomats and international officials were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah. They were mostly citizens of Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Canada. The World Health Organization says the fighting has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands, but the death toll is believed to be much higher as people struggle to reach hospitals.
Reuters news agency quotes US officials as saying a few diplomats from other countries were also evacuated in the US operation, and the US aircraft did not come under fire. Khartoum airport has been repeatedly targeted by shelling and gunfire, making evacuation flights from there impossible. Arabic news service Al Hadath reported that the six US aircraft landed in the embassy compound, and several Twitter users posted that they could hear helicopter activity over the US embassy, however the BBC has been unable to verify this.
Mr Biden’s statement said: “I am receiving regular reports from my team on their ongoing work to assist Americans in Sudan, to the extent possible. We are also working closely with our allies and partners in this effort.” He condemned the fighting, saying the rival armies “must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the people of Sudan”.
The UK says it is considering ways to evacuate its staff. A hotline has been set up for those who need urgent help, and UK citizens in Sudan are being urged to tell the Foreign Office where they are. Any UK evacuation is expected to be very limited and focus on diplomatic staff – not comparable to the mass evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021. The Canadian government has told its citizens in Sudan to “shelter in a safe place”, keep their phones charged, doors and windows locked and “consider leaving the country if there’s a safe means to do so”.
Heavy fighting broke out in Khartoum on 15 April between forces loyal to Sudanese army chief Abdel Fatteh al-Burhan and the rival RSF. The near-constant shooting and bombing in Khartoum and elsewhere has cut electricity and safe access to food and water for much of the population. Several ceasefires that had seemingly been agreed by both sides were ignored, including a three-day pause to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which started on Friday.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired an emergency government Cobra meeting on Saturday to assess the Sudan crisis and more talks are expected on Sunday. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has cut short a Pacific tour and is returning to London. Some UK nationals trapped in Sudan have voiced frustration and anxiety over the absence of an airlift. Briton Iman Abu Garga said she had registered herself and her two children, as instructed, “and since then – nothing”. Another British citizen in Khartoum told the BBC she felt “completely abandoned” by the UK government, saying she had not been given “much information at all” about possible evacuation plans.
On Saturday a Sudanese army statement said Gen Burhan had agreed to facilitate and secure foreigners’ evacuation “in the coming hours”. It said British, US, French and Chinese nationals and diplomats would be evacuated by air on board military transport planes from Khartoum. The UK government said it was “doing everything possible to support British nationals and diplomatic staff in Khartoum”.
Along with Khartoum, the western region of Darfur, where the RSF first emerged, has also been badly affected by the fighting. The UN has warned that up to 20,000 people – mostly women and children – have fled Sudan to seek safety in Chad, across the border from Darfur.
The US military has evacuated American diplomats and their families from Khartoum following fierce violence between two opposing armies. President Joe Biden said: “Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum”. A US official said fewer than 100 people were evacuated early on Sunday when three Chinook helicopters landed near the US embassy to collect them.
Lt Gen Douglas Sims said more than 100 troops from the Navy Seals and Army Special Forces flew from Djibouti to Ethiopia and then into Sudan, and were on the ground for less than an hour. He said it was a “fast and clean” mission. Mr Biden thanked Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia for their assistance in making the mission successful, praising both US embassy staff and military personnel involved. The embassy in Khartoum is now closed, with no consular services available for US citizens in Sudan or any possibility of evacuation of private citizens due to safety concerns.
On Saturday, more than 150 citizens, diplomats and international officials were evacuated by sea to Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah. They were mostly citizens of Gulf countries as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Canada. The World Health Organization says that over 400 people have been killed in the fighting so far with thousands injured; however it is believed that many more have died as people struggle to reach hospitals.
Reuters news agency quotes US officials as saying a few diplomats from other countries were also evacuated in the US operation without any aircraft coming under fire due to Khartoum airport being repeatedly targeted by shelling and gunfire. Mr Biden condemned the fighting urging both sides to implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access and respect the will of the people of Sudan.
The UK is considering ways to evacuate its staff with a hotline set up for those who need urgent help while UK citizens are being urged to tell the Foreign Office where they are located. The Canadian government has told its citizens in Sudan to “shelter in a safe place” with phones charged, doors locked and “consider leaving the country if there’s a safe means to do so”.
On Saturday a Sudanese army statement said Gen Burhan had agreed to facilitate and secure foreigners’ evacuation “in the coming hours” with British, US, French and Chinese nationals being evacuated by air on board military transport planes from Khartoum. The UK government said it was “doing everything possible” to support British nationals while Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has cut short a Pacific tour returning to London.