US Begins First Mass Evacuation Effort of Citizens From Sudan

The exterior of the U.S. embassy in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Oct. 7, 2017. Ashraf Shazly/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. State Department confirmed that it’s launching the first mass evacuation of its citizens from Sudan amid fighting between rival factions that started earlier this month.

A U.S. government-backed convoy carrying U.S. citizens arrived at Port Sudan on April 29, the State Department said in a statement over the weekend. Port Sudan, which sits near the Red Sea, is located hundreds of miles away from Khartoum, Sudan’s capital.

“The U.S. government has taken extensive efforts to contact U.S. citizens in Sudan and enable the departure of those who wished to leave,” the statement reads. “We messaged every U.S. citizen in Sudan who communicated with us during the crisis and provided specific instructions about joining this convoy to those who were interested in departing via the land route.

“We encourage U.S. citizens who want to leave Sudan but chose not to participate in this convoy to contact the Department of State using the crisis intake form on our website.”

The evacuation was triggered after “intensive negotiations by the United States with the support of our regional and international partners,” the State Department said, noting that Americans shouldn’t travel to the war-torn country.

“The Secretary of Defense approved a request for assistance from the Department of State to support the safe departure of U.S. citizens and their immediate family members via overland,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a statement. “The Department of Defense deployed U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes, which Americans are using, and we are moving naval assets within the region to provide any necessary support along the coast.

“Our focus has been and remains to help as many U.S. citizens depart as safely as possible.”

Families of trapped U.S. citizens have been critical so far of the White House’s response for initially ruling out an evacuation, The Associated Press reported. When the conflict broke out earlier this month, U.S. officials warned that citizens would need to find their own way out of the country.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stressed to AP on April 29 that the convoy that recently arrived in Port Sudan carried U.S. citizens, locals employed by the United States, and citizens of some allied countries.

“We reiterate our warning to Americans not to travel to Sudan,” he said.

When Americans reach Port Sudan, they can cross into the Saudi city of Jeddah, where U.S. consular officials will be awaiting their arrival, officials told AP.

Conflict

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15. The parties have fought on despite a series of ceasefires secured by mediators, including the United States.

Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 19, 2023. Marwan Ali/AP Photo

The army said on April 30 that it had destroyed RSF convoys moving toward Khartoum from the west. The RSF stated that the army had used artillery and warplanes to attack its positions in a number of areas in Khartoum province.

In an apparent bid to boost its forces, the army stated on April 29 that the Central Reserve Police had begun to deploy in southern Khartoum and would be deployed gradually in other areas of the capital.

The fighting has derailed an internationally backed political transition aimed at establishing a democratic government in Sudan, where former autocratic President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was toppled in 2019 after three decades in power.

Two Americans have been killed in the fighting that started on April 15. One was a U.S. civilian who was caught in the crossfire between the two sides, officials said, noting that the other was a doctor from Iowa who was stabbed to death near his home in Khartoum, AP reported.

The United States is among a number of countries that have closed down their embassies after the fighting erupted.

“Intensive negotiations by the United States with the support of our regional and international partners enabled the security conditions that have allowed the departure of thousands of foreign and U.S. citizens, including through today’s operation,” the State Department said on April 29. “We continue to call on the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to end the fighting that is endangering civilians.”

Reuters contributed to this report.