In a written statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “The US Department of State has announced that it has temporarily suspended activities at our embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, and has safely evacuated all US personnel and family members whose safety is under our responsibility. It is always difficult to suspend activities at our embassy. It’s a decision, but the safety of our staff is my primary responsibility.” used the phrases.
CALL TO EXTEND THE truce
Stating that he took this decision because the conflicts between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces created serious and increasing security risks, Blinken made the following assessments:
“Large-scale conflicts have caused civilian deaths, injuries and significant infrastructure damage and have posed an unacceptable risk to our embassy personnel. I appreciate the skill and professionalism of our field team, US military forces and other elements of our government in carrying out this evacuation mission.”
Blinken stated that they will continue to help Americans in Sudan plan for their own safety and will regularly provide information to US citizens in the region.
Calling on the parties to the conflicts in Sudan to extend the ceasefire immediately for the Eid al-Fitr, Blinken noted that they reminded the parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians.
A NEW TRAVEL ALERT
Meanwhile, the State Department issued a new travel warning for Sudan, urging US citizens not to travel to this country, while US citizens staying there should leave the country.
evacuation was carried out by the PENTAGON
US Undersecretary of State, Administration and Resources John Bass, in a teleconference to reporters on the subject, announced that the evacuation of US personnel was carried out by the US Department of Defense (Pentagon).
Stating that the Rapid Support Forces did not give them any support as claimed on social media, Bass said, “The claims that the Rapid Support Forces supported us in a coordinated way are not true. They did not just shoot at our soldiers during the operation. One of the reasons for this behavior was their own interests.” said.
Explaining that the security conditions deteriorated rapidly in Sudan, Bass said that the airport in Khartoum was rendered unusable.
“We do not expect the security conditions to change anytime soon, but we will continue to do our best to end this conflict. Unfortunately, due to the unavailability of the civilian airport and the uncertainty in the security conditions, we do not foresee any evacuation by the US government for our citizens in Sudan for now and in the coming days. ” he said.
Bass said that many US citizens in Sudan and citizens from other countries traveled from Khartoum to Port Sudan in the Red Sea by land, adding that this journey would be quite difficult and they advised US citizens not to follow this road.
PENTAGON WILL FOLLOW THE ESCAPE ROUTES CLOSELY
US Secretary of Defense Special Forces and Low Intensity Conflict Advisor Chris Maier told reporters that the Pentagon will work with the State Department in the coming days to support the evacuation of Americans.
Maier stated that the Pentagon will closely monitor the land routes and try to identify possible threats in order to support those who want to leave the country by land.
Noting that he will support the evacuation of US citizens arriving in Port Sudan, Maier said that they will also establish separation channels to prevent attacks on land escape routes.
The Chief of Operations of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, informed that 3 CH-47 Chinook type helicopters flew from Djibouti to Ethiopia and from there to Sudan for the evacuation of the US personnel, and that the evacuation was made with these helicopters.
Sims stated that the Commander of the US African Forces, General Michael Langeley, met with the commanders of both sides.
Source: AA