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US and France evacuate diplomats from Sudan as fierce fighting rages
Joe Biden says the US military evacuation of American embassy personnel in Sudan has been completed as he calls for an end to the “unconscionable” violence. France’s foreign minister says it is also carrying out a “rapid evacuation operation” of its diplomats and citizens.
Sunday 23 April 2023 10:27, UK
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Incessant gunfire in Sudan’s capital
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France and other allies are evacuating their diplomats and citizens from Sudan in a high-risk operation, a day after US special forces airlifted all American staff from their embassy in the capital.
In a fast-moving situation, the French foreign ministry said it was operating with “European and allied partners” to coordinate “a rapid evacuation operation”, without naming which countries are also involved.
The French said: “This operation includes nationals of these states as well as European diplomatic personnel.”
The Netherlands said it would also evacuate its citizens and embassy staff on Sunday “with other countries”, again without naming them.
The UK has been ready to rescue its diplomats from the British embassy in Khartoum as soon as feasible amid intense fighting between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary group.
UK troops and military aircraft have been moved to an overseas base to prepare for what would be a high-risk rescue mission into an active conflict zone – in case the order is given.
Oliver Dowden SROS1:42
Play Video – ‘Will UK evacuate citizens from Sudan?’
Sky’s Sophy Ridge asks Oliver Dowden if the UK is looking to evacuate citizens from Sudan
‘Rapidly moving’ situation
A spokesperson on Sunday morning said: “The UK government has been working with a number of international partners to support diplomatic staff and British nationals in Khartoum.
“It is not for us to comment on international partners’ military activity in Sudan, but we are fully aware of each other’s plans and integrated with those operations.”
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme the situation was “rapidly moving” and “complex”.
However, he refused to confirm whether the UK would evacuate British nationals from Sudan.
“The Ministry of Defence is acting in support of the Foreign Office, but clearly you wouldn’t expect me to comment for security reasons on the current situation in terms of movement on the ground,” he said.
He added: “This is a very different situation, for example, to the situation that you saw in Afghanistan.
“First of all, this situation has arisen very rapidly and, secondly, we just don’t have the kind of scale of resources on the ground that were there in Afghanistan.
“Clearly, we need to make sure that we support our British nationals. At the moment, the advice to British nationals is to make sure they stay indoors, that they stay safe and get in contact with the Foreign Office.”
Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth said the government should provide more clarity as to why it did not appear to be acting in line with other governments regarding evacuation efforts.
“I hope we can have a clarification from the Foreign Office in the coming days,” he told Sophy Ridge on Sunday.
Read more:
Why has violence erupted in Sudan?
Dramatic before-and-after images show impact of deadly clashes
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Play Video – ‘Clarification needed on UK nationals in Sudan’
‘Clarification needed on UK nationals in Sudan’
Sudanese-American journalist Isma’il Kushkush, who is in Sudan, said: “The security situation isn’t stable and people are getting restless.
“The big challenge is just keeping phones charged, and the internet is fluctuating. So contacting people in Sudan or outside can be a bit difficult.
“We’ve been stuck here for eight days, been trying to arrange for an evacuation, the situation isn’t safe. We’re surrounded by troops, we’re in the crossfire of both fighting forces.”
Biden’s order amid ‘tragic violence’
On Saturday, about 70 American nationals were flown from a landing zone at the US Embassy in Khartoum to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia, an unnamed US official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the mission.
President Joe Biden ordered the evacuation of US embassy staff after receiving a recommendation on Saturday from his national security team with no end in sight to the fighting.
In a statement, Mr Biden said: “Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum.
“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. And I thank Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which were critical to the success of our operation.”
He added: “This tragic violence in Sudan has already cost the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians. It’s unconscionable and it must stop.
“We are temporarily suspending operations at the US Embassy in Sudan, but our commitment to the Sudanese people and the future they want for themselves is unending.”
British-Sudanese woman has told Sky News of her 'harrowing' ordeal over the last seven days in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Her voice note details how she is only alive 'by the grace of God' and how she wonders why nothing is being done to help her.3:10
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‘We’re being shelled to shreds’
Embassy evacuations conducted by the US military are relatively rare and usually take place only under extreme conditions.
The US State Department said it has suspended operations at the embassy due to the dire security situation.
It added it would “continue to assist Americans in Sudan in planning for their own safety and provide regular updates to US citizens in the area”.
Gunfire continues in Sudan's capital0:32
Incessant gunfire in Sudan’s capital
Hundreds dead in past week
According to the World Health Organization, fighting between forces loyal to two top generals has killed more than 400 people since erupting on 15 April.
The violence has included an unprovoked attack on a US diplomatic convoy and numerous incidents in which foreign diplomats and aid workers have been killed, injured or assaulted.
The White House said it has no plans for a government-coordinated evacuation of American citizens trapped in Sudan.
The US embassy said on Saturday that “due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a US government-coordinated evacuation of private US citizens”.
An estimated 16,000 US citizens are registered with the embassy as being in Sudan, although that figure is probably inaccurate because there is no requirement for Americans to register or notify the embassy when they leave.
The conflict between the armed forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has derailed Sudan’s transition to democratic rule after decades of dictatorship and civil war.
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Al Burhan said on Saturday he would facilitate the evacuation of American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan after speaking with the leaders of several countries that had requested help.
The RSF in a Twitter posting said it had cooperated with US forces during their evacuation mission.
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