Nine days after the war in Sudan broke out, the United States of America has evacuated roughly 70 remaining American employees from a landing zone at the embassy to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia.
How The Americans Were Evacuated from Sudan
The evacuation was done in less than an hour with about 100 U.S. troops in three MH-47 helicopters and no shots were fired nor any major casualties reported.
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With the last U.S. employee of the embassy out, Washington also shuttered the U.S. mission in Khartoum indefinitely. Left behind are now thousands of private American citizens remaining in the east African country.
The mission was made possible with support from Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia for the Americans.
Why Sudan Was Plunged Into Another War
There has been a power struggle between the armed forces chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
The rift led to continued closing of the main international airport and the roads in the control of armed men with continued fighting now noted to have killed more than 400 people.
Sudan’s fighting broke out April 15 between two commanders who had jointly orchestrated a military coup 18 months earlier where the nation’s transition to democracy was truncated.
President Biden’s Reactions After the Evacuation
In a statement thanking the troops, President Joe Biden said he was receiving regular reports from his team on efforts to assist remaining Americans in Sudan “to the extent possible.”
He also called for the end to “unconscionable” violence there.
“I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our Embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America’s friendship and connection with the people of Sudan.”
“I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety.”
U.S. Africa Command and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley were in contact with both warring factions before and during the operation to ensure that U.S. forces would have safe passage to conduct the evacuation.
Some Misconceptions From The Evacuation Clarified
Molly Phee, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, appreciated Ethiopia for providing overflight and refueling support.
Also, John Bass, a U.S. undersecretary of state, denied claims by one faction, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Security Forces, that it assisted in the U.S. evacuation. Bass said:
“They cooperated to the extent that they did not fire on our service members in the course of the operation.”
How Saudi Arabia Successfully Evacuated Her Citizens
On Saturday, footages of Saudi Arabia nationals and some other foreigners were shown announcing the successful repatriation.
They were welcomed with chocolate and flowers as they stepped off an apparent evacuation ship at the Saudi port of Jeddah.
