President Joe Biden has authorized the evacuation of all US government personnel from the war-torn Sudan.
A group of approximately 100 special operations forces carried out the extraction, under the leadership of US Africa Command, in close coordination with the State Department, according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The decision to evacuate American personnel follows a week of intense clashes between rival military factions – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – resulting in numerous casualties.
“Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum,” stated President Biden.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the successful evacuation of all US personnel and their families, with the temporary suspension of operations at the US Embassy in Khartoum.
Blinken emphasized that the widespread fighting posed an unacceptable risk to embassy personnel, leading to the difficult decision to suspend operations.
Undersecretary of State for Management John Bass indicated that the temporary closure of the embassy was deemed the most viable option due to the intensity of the conflict and challenges faced by diplomatic personnel.
“We do not have any US government personnel remaining in Khartoum at this time,” Bass mentioned, with a substantial number of local staff supporting the embassy in a caretaker status.
The evacuation operation, described as “anything but haphazard” by Lt. Gen. D.A. Sims, saw US special operations forces spending minimal time on the ground in Sudan. The troops departed from Djibouti, landing in Ethiopia for refueling before proceeding to Khartoum.
“The evacuation was conducted in one movement via rotary wing, with service members spending less than an hour on the ground in Khartoum,” Sims reported. “As we speak, the evacuees are safe and secure.”
While efforts were made to evacuate government workers, it was clarified by John Bass that the US government does not anticipate coordinating an evacuation of US citizens in Sudan in the immediate future.
“In the coming days, we will continue to work with the State Department to help American citizens who may want to leave Sudan,” stated a senior Pentagon official, indicating potential measures such as improving overland routes and deploying naval assets outside the port of Sudan to assist Americans.
Contrary to claims made by the paramilitary group RSF, Bass asserted that there was no coordination with them for the evacuation.
“They cooperated to the extent that they did not fire on our service members during the operation,” he noted. “I would submit that’s as much in their self-interest as anything else.”
