Current:Home > InvestSudan army: Rescue of foreign citizens, diplomats expected-InfoLens
Sudan army: Rescue of foreign citizens, diplomats expected
View Date:2024-12-23 23:50:42
The Sudanese army said Saturday it was coordinating efforts to evacuate American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan on military aircraft, as the bloody fighting that has engulfed the vast African nation entered its second week.
The military said that its chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, had spoken to leaders of several countries who have requested safe evacuations of their citizens and diplomats from Sudan. The prospect has vexed officials as most major airports have become battlegrounds and movement out of the capital, Khartoum, has proven intensely dangerous.
Burhan "agreed to provide the necessary assistance to secure such evacuations for various countries," the military said.
Questions have swirled over how the mass rescues of foreign citizens would unfold, with Sudan's main international airport closed and millions of people sheltering indoors. As battles between the Sudanese army led by Burhan and a rival powerful paramilitary group rage in and around Khartoum, including in residential areas, foreign countries have struggled to repatriate their citizens — some of whom are running short on food and basic supplies while hunkered down.
The Pentagon said earlier this week it was moving additional troops and equipment to a Naval base in the tiny Gulf of Aden nation of Djibouti to prepare for the evacuation of U.S. Embassy personnel. But the White House said Friday it had no plans for a government-coordinated evacuation of an estimated 16,000 American citizens trapped in Sudan.
Even as the warring sides said Friday they'd agreed to a cease-fire for the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, explosions and gunfire rang out across Khartoum on Saturday. Two cease-fire attempts earlier this week also rapidly collapsed.
"People need to realize that the war has been continuous since day one. It has not stopped for one moment," said Atiya Abdalla Atiya, secretary of the Sudanese Doctors' Syndicate, which monitors casualties. The clashes have killed over 400 people so far.
The international airport near the center of the capital has come under heavy shelling as the paramilitary group, known as the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, has tried to take control of the compound. In an apparent effort to oust the RSF fighters, the Sudanese army has pounded the airport with airstrikes, gutting at least one runway and leaving wrecked planes scattered on the tarmac. The full extent of damage at the airfield remains unclear.
Burhan said that some diplomats from Saudi Arabia had already been evacuated from Port Sudan, the country's main seaport on the Red Sea, and airlifted back to the kingdom. He said that Jordan's diplomats would soon be evacuated in the same way.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia and Jordan both announced that they had started arranging for the repatriation of their citizens stuck in Sudan. Officials did not elaborate on how the plans would unfold. Jordan said it was "taking into account the security conditions on the ground" and was coordinating its efforts with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
- In:
- Sudan
veryGood! (73225)
Related
- Quincy Jones' cause of death revealed: Reports
- Maine leaders seek national monument for home of Frances Perkins, 1st woman Cabinet member
- 2024 Olympics: Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma Taken Off Track in Stretcher After Scary Fall
- Police Weigh in on Taylor Swift's London Concerts After Alleged Terror Attack Plot Foiled in Vienna
- Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term
- 2024 Olympics: Runner Noah Lyles Says This Will Be the End of His Competing After COVID Diagnosis
- Katy Perry Reveals Orlando Bloom's Annoying Trait
- Katy Perry Reveals Orlando Bloom's Annoying Trait
- Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas says he was detained in airport over being ‘disoriented’
- Investigator says ‘fraudulent’ gift to Florida’s only public historically Black university is void
Ranking
- Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR
- Harris-Walz camo hat is having a moment. Could it be bigger than MAGA red?
- North Carolina man wins $1.1M on lottery before his birthday; he plans to buy wife a house
- The Beverly Hills Hotel x Stoney Clover Lane Collab Is Here—Shop Pink Travel Finds & Banana Leaf Bags
- North Carolina offers schools $1 million to help take students on field trips
- The Ultimate Guide to Microcurrent Therapy for Skin: Benefits and How It Works (We Asked an Expert)
- Kate Spade Outlet’s up to 75% off, Which Means Chic $79 Crossbodies, $35 Wristlets & More
- Chicago White Sox, with MLB-worst 28-89 record, fire manager Pedro Grifol
Recommendation
-
Princess Kate to host annual Christmas carol service following cancer treatment
-
Older pilots with unmatchable experience are key to the US aerial firefighting fleet
-
How an anti-abortion doctor joined Texas’ maternal mortality committee
-
Forecasters still predict highly active Atlantic hurricane season in mid-season update
-
Bridgerton's Luke Newton Details His Physical Transformation for Season 3's Leading Role
-
See first look at Travis Kelce hosting 'Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?'
-
Maui remembers the 102 lost in the Lahaina wildfire with a paddle out 1 year after devastating blaze
-
'Take care': Utah executes Taberon Dave Honie in murder of then-girlfriend's mother