The US prepares for the evacuation of embassy personnel in Sudan

2023-04-21 16:13:52, Kosova & Bota CNA

Sudan

The Pentagon is deploying military forces near Sudan to help evacuate US embassy personnel in Khartoum, if necessary, as violence erupts between the African country's two warring factions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other leaders are calling for a ceasefire at least until Sunday.

The World Health Organization says at least 330 people have been killed and about 3,200 injured since fighting began on Saturday between government forces and a paramilitary group in Sudan. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the United States condemns the violence and that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been in contact with both sides urging them to extend the ceasefire until at least Sunday.

"The State Department is engaged in efforts to protect our personnel there. The Pentagon issued a statement earlier through US Africa Command, which said they too are closely monitoring the situation and doing careful scenario planning different, unforeseen. They are deploying additional forces near the region to be prepared in case the situation changes," said Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman.

At the White House, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said personnel are staying inside the US embassy in Sudan and a decision has not yet been made on their evacuation.

"We are now focused on calling on both sides to stop fighting and respect a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to people in need. I mean there are already food shortages. There are concerns about lack of medicine and water. The situation is dire in Khartoum and we continue to call on both sides now to end the violence," he said.

Even UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made similar calls.

"I call for a ceasefire for at least the three days of the Eid holiday, to allow the evacuation of civilians trapped in conflict zones and medical treatment, the delivery of food and other essential supplies," he said .

About 16,000 Americans and about 70 US Embassy personnel are in Sudan. The United States has military troops stationed in neighboring Djibouti that experts say are likely to be used for evacuation operations.

After staying indoors since Saturday, without electricity, many civilians in Khartoum and surrounding areas are running out of water and basic supplies.

Khartoum's international airport and Sudan's border with Chad have already been closed, leaving few good opportunities for aid workers and others to leave. An expert told VOA that the administration of President Biden does not want a repeat of the hasty withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan.

"We cannot avoid a comparison with Afghanistan, especially if we think about the images of Americans leaving a besieged city and civilians wanting to evacuate along with Americans and international personnel. I think it would not look good now to send American troops to a country in Africa", says Cameron Hudson from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. / VOA