The violent struggles for the takeover of power are not calming down in Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries announced on Sunday the evacuation of the US embassy in Khartoum.
The FSR, which is fighting against the regular army, announced in a tweet that it had “coordinated” with the United States the evacuation of American diplomats and their families aboard six planes this Sunday morning. An Arabic version of the FSR’s tweet indicates that the evacuation has already taken place, while an English version is unclear on this. Washington, on the other hand, has not yet reacted.
Khartoum largely deprived of water and electricity
After a relative lull the previous night, fighting resumed on Saturday in the capital, largely without electricity and running water. Loud explosions shook the city during the day and firefights were heard in different neighborhoods.
Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday the first major evacuation operation since the fighting began, including diplomats and foreign officials. It was carried out by the kingdom’s naval forces with the support of other branches of the army, the Foreign Ministry said, announcing the “safe arrival” in Jeddah of 91 Saudi citizens and about 66 nationals of 12 other countries. These are Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Philippines, Canada and Burkina Faso.
EU considers evacuation of diplomats
German defense and foreign ministers said they had held a crisis meeting on Saturday to discuss the feasibility of an evacuation, after three military planes were forced to turn back on Wednesday, the magazine reported. German Der Spiegel. For several days, the United States, South Korea and Japan have also deployed forces in neighboring countries and the European Union is considering taking similar measures to evacuate their diplomats and nationals from Sudan.
Violence erupted there on April 15 between the army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, de facto ruler of Sudan since the 2021 putsch, and his deputy turned rival, General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces. (FSR), feared paramilitaries. The still very provisional toll stands at 413 dead and 3,551 injured, according to the World Health Organization.
MSF alerts on the situation in Darfur
In Khartoum, a city of five million people, many civilians have ventured outside just to get emergency food or to flee the city. Living conditions are probably worse in Darfur, where no one can go immediately. On site, a doctor from Doctors Without Borders evokes a “catastrophic situation”.