LONDON — The US military has evacuated American diplomats and their families from Khartoum, President Joe Biden has said. The operation was “fast and clean”, a US official said.
Fewer than 100 people were reportedly evacuated early on Sunday, when three Chinook helicopters landed near the US embassy to collect them.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it was also evacuating its citizens and nationals of other EU and allied countries.
However, both Sudan’s regular army and its opponents — a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — have said that the evacuation convoy was fired at after leaving the French embassy and had to turn back. They blamed each other for the attack.
Speaking to the BBC, French authorities refused to comment on whether an attack had taken place — but they did say that the French military based in Djibouti is involved in the operation and that the aim is to get the evacuees to Djibouti.
The Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Japan also said they have begun operations to evacuate their citizens.
Meanwhile, there are reports that Internet connectivity has almost totally collapsed in Sudan, which could seriously hinder the coordination of help for those trapped in Khartoum and other cities.
The power struggle between Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary RSF has seen heavy bombardment in the capital city, with hundreds killed and thousands more injured.
US embassy airlift
“Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum,” Biden said in a statement.
In a call with reporters after the mission, Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims said more than 100 US troops from the Navy Seals and Army Special Forces flew from Djibouti to Ethiopia and then into Sudan, and were on the ground for less than an hour.
Although there is no sign of a formal ceasefire, it does appear that the paramilitary group, the RSF, agreed not to shoot at the American helicopters during their mission.
Biden thanked Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, saying they had been “critical to the success of our operation”. He also called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan.
The US embassy in Khartoum is now closed, and a tweet on its official feed said it is not safe enough for the government to evacuate private US citizens.
It was the second evacuation of foreign citizens since violence erupted in Sudan’s capital last week.
On Saturday, more than 150 people, mostly citizens of Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Canada were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah.
The UK said it is considering ways to evacuate its staff. A hotline has been set up for those who need urgent help, and UK citizens in Sudan are being urged to tell the Foreign Office where they are.
Any UK evacuation is expected to be very limited and focus on diplomatic staff — not comparable to the mass evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021.
Meanwhile the Canadian government has told its citizens in Sudan to “shelter in a safe place”, keep their phones charged, doors and windows locked and “consider leaving the country if there’s a safe means to do so”.
There have been desperate calls for help from many foreign students — from Africa, Asia and the Middle East —- who are also stuck in Khartoum, a city of some 6 million people.
The near-constant shooting and bombing in Khartoum and elsewhere has cut electricity and safe access to food and water for much of the population.
Several ceasefires that had seemingly been agreed by both sides were ignored, including a three-day pause to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, which started on Friday.
The World Health Organization said the fighting has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands. But the death toll is believed to be much higher as people struggle to reach hospitals.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired an emergency government Cobra meeting on Saturday to assess the Sudan crisis and more talks are expected on Sunday.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has cut short a Pacific tour and is returning to London.
Some UK nationals trapped in Sudan have voiced frustration and anxiety over the absence of an airlift.
Briton Iman Abu Garga, visiting Khartoum, said she had registered herself and her two children, as instructed, “and since then — nothing”.
“We have no idea about timescale or timeframe. We have no idea what it’s going to look like. Are we going to be airlifted out of Khartoum airport? Are we going to have to go by road? It’s just utterly frustrating that there is no human contact whatsoever,” she complained.
Along with Khartoum, the western region of Darfur, where the RSF first emerged, has also been badly affected by the fighting.
The UN has warned that up to 20,000 people — mostly women and children — have fled Sudan to seek safety in Chad, across the border from Darfur. — BBC