President Joe Biden Strands Thousands of Americans in Sudan with No Evacuation Plan

Government employees were evacuated from the US by US military. President Joe Biden stated in a statement released in the evening that the embassy in Sudan was closed on Saturday.

The US military carried out the extraction operation at the embassy in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. The army and a paramilitary group have been engaged in armed fighting in the city, necessitating the evacuation of embassy staff.

“Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract U.S. Government personnel from Khartoum. 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,” President Joe Biden stated.

He continued, “I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety. And I thank Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which were critical to the success of our operation.”

According to the White House, there are presently no government-coordinated evacuation preparations in place for American citizens who are trapped in Sudan due to the country’s raging civil war. Sudan is the third-largest nation in Africa. 

According to estimates, the US Embassy in Sudan’s capital of Khartoum has 16,000 private US citizens on file.

Although there have been worries about the safety and well-being of American nationals in Sudan due to the country’s deteriorating condition, the US government has not yet made any announcements regarding immediate evacuation preparations.

Even though government employees were evacuated from the US Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, a sizable number of local staff members remained in the city to support the embassy, according to Under Secretary of State for Management John Bass. Due to the ongoing security dangers, it was decided to halt operations at the embassy on Saturday. Less than 100 people were involved in the rescue operation, US officials told reporters.

The U.S. military said that its troops were only on the ground in Sudan for an hour before they were able to effectively leave without coming into contact with any gunfire from the fighting sides. 

In addition to working with allies and partners in this effort, President Biden said that he receives monthly briefings from his team about ongoing efforts to support Americans in Sudan to the best of their ability.

The violent confrontation between rival fighting factions, which has so far claimed hundreds of lives, prompted the Sudanese Army to declare on Saturday that other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and China, would also be removing their embassies and citizens from Sudan.