The US military has evacuated staff from the US embassy in Sudan. That is what President Joe Biden has on Saturday announced. The embassy is closed until further notice.
The reason for the evacuation is the fighting that has been taking place in the African country for more than a week, in which government troops are fighting against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. The conflict in Sudan has already killed at least 350 people.
In a statement, Biden praises the efforts of the staff. He also thanks Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Djibouti, who he said were crucial in the evacuation. He further announced that the US remains committed to US citizens in Sudan.
Read also: ‘I brooded all night, at dawn I decided to flee’ – eyewitness account from Sudan
Dutch people
It remains unclear when Dutch people who are stuck in Sudan can be evacuated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with at least 134 Dutch people, but it is expected that there are more Dutch people in the country with whom no contact has yet been made. The Netherlands has two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft ready in Jordan to evacuate people.
The US is the first country to evacuate its diplomats from the war-ravaged African country. More countries are preparing for this. Due to the fighting, no air traffic is possible through the airport of the capital Khartoum.