Evacuation of American Nationals and Others to Port Sudan Amid Sudan Fighting

Citizens of the United States and other countries were evacuated to the coastal city of Port Sudan on Saturday.

By Le Figaro with AFP

Published on 04/29/2023 at 20:55

A convoy organized by the United States has allowed the evacuation of American nationals and other countries fleeing the fighting in Sudan to the coastal city of Port Sudan, from where they can embark for Saudi Arabia, announced the State Department on Saturday.

This operation is in addition to those which have already made it possible to evacuate American diplomatic personnel andhundreds of American citizenswho were able to leave Sudan by land, air or sea convoys, says American diplomacy.

Evacuees directed to Jeddah

The convoy also carriedlocal employees and nationals of allied and partner countries [et] arrived in Port Sudan on April 29spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. From this port on the Red Sea,we’re helping U.S. citizens and other eligible individuals continue their journey to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where additional U.S. personnel are in place to provide consular and emergency services“, he added.

For its part, the United States Department of Defense indicated in another press release that it had deployed “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to support air and ground evacuation routesand moved fromnaval means to provide the necessary support on the coast».

The State Department did not give the number of people evacuated in the operation. A spokesman said on Friday that just under 5,000 people had been in contact with the State Department about leaving Sudan, but it was impossible to know how many were in the country and wanted to leave. The press release does not specify whether other convoys will be organized in the future.

More than 500 dead in Sudan

Fierce and deadly fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitaries entered its third week on Saturday, in violation of a new truce. The country is plunged into chaos since the outbreak on April 15 of a bloody power struggle between the head of the army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, and his number two, Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, says “Hemedti“, at the head of the dreaded Rapid Support Forces (FSR).

The fighting left at least 528 dead and 4,599 injured, according to the latest official figures released on Saturday. Tens of thousands of Sudanese have fled to neighboring states including Egypt, Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan, while foreign countries carry out mass evacuations of their nationals.