U.S. diplomats airlifted from Sudan, Saudis say they removed some Canadians

US Embassy staff were expelled from Sudan early Sunday, as forces loyal to rival generals battled for control of Africa’s third-largest country for a ninth day amid hopes for a de-escalation.

Saudi Arabia also said it was helping some Canadians escape the country through the Sudan Port on Saturday.

The Sudanese army and powerful military groups have been engaged in intense fighting for more than a week in and around Khartoum, including in residential areas. Foreign countries have struggled to repatriate their citizens – many of whom are trapped at home as food supplies dwindle. Questions have swirled about how the mass rescue of foreign nationals will unfold, with Sudan’s main international airport closed and millions of people stranded indoors.

The warring sides said they were helping to coordinate the evacuation of foreigners, although the continued exchange of fire in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, undermined those claims.

A senior Biden administration official said the US military carried out the removal of US embassy staff. The force that evacuated the staff from Khartoum has safely left Sudanese airspace, US officials have confirmed.

The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, which has been fighting the Sudanese army, said the US rescue mission involved six planes and had coordinated evacuation efforts with the US.

Many countries want to get their citizens out

But the US denied the group did anything to help the evacuation.

“You may have seen some statements on social media in the recent hours, that the Rapid Security Forces somehow coordinated with us and supported this operation. That is not small,” said the Secretary of State for Management John Bass. “They cooperated to the extent that they did not shoot service members during the operation.”

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, led by General Mohammed Hamad Dagolo, said it was cooperating with all diplomatic missions and committed to the three-day ceasefire announced at sunset on Friday.

Earlier, Army Chief General Abdel Fattah Burhan said he would facilitate the evacuation of American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan after talks with the leaders of several countries that have asked for help.

French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said on Sunday that France is organizing the evacuation of embassy staff, French citizens in Sudan and citizens of allied countries. He said that France is organizing the operation “in relation to all parties involved, as well as to our European partners and allies.”

However, the situation on the ground remains unstable. Most of the main airports have become battlefields and movement out of Khartoum has become extremely dangerous. The two rivals have dug in, signaling they will resume fighting after a three-day ceasefire was announced.

Saudi Arabia says it helped Canadians escape

The White House would not confirm the Sudanese military announcement. “We have made it very clear to both sides that it is their responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians and noncombatants,” the National Security Council said. On Friday, the US said it had no plans for a government-coordinated evacuation of the estimated 16,000 Americans trapped in Sudan.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Royal Navy forces carried out an evacuation operation, transporting 91 citizens and 66 people from “brotherly and friendly” countries – including Canada – from Port Sudan, on the Red Sea coast, to Jeddah.

The statement, posted on social media, did not say how many Canadian passport holders may be participating. CBC News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for confirmation.

Saudi officials did not elaborate on exactly how the rescue unfolded but Burhan said Saudi diplomats and citizens first traveled by land to Port Sudan, the country’s main port on the Red Sea. about 840 kilometers from Khartoum.

US President Joe Biden ordered American forces to evacuate embassy personnel after receiving a recommendation on Saturday from a national security team with no end to the fighting, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the mission. .

The evacuation order is believed to apply to about 70 Americans. US troops flew from a landing zone at the embassy to an unspecified location.

2 failed ceasefires

With the US focused on moving diplomats first, the Pentagon said it would move additional troops and equipment to a Navy base in the small Gulf of Aden nation of Djibouti to prepare for the effort.

Two ceasefire attempts earlier this week also collapsed quickly. The crash may have dented hopes for the country’s transition to a civilian-led democracy and raised concerns that the chaos could spill over into its neighbors, including Chad, Egypt and Libya.

“The war has been going on since Day 1. It hasn’t stopped for a second,” said Atiya Abdalla Atiya, secretary of the Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, which is monitoring the casualties.

The clashes have killed more than 400 people so far, according to the World Health Organization. Bombs, gun battles and snipers in densely populated areas have hit civilian infrastructure, including many hospitals. Internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org said Sunday there was a “total collapse of internet connectivity.”

The airport was badly damaged

The international airport near the center of Khartoum has come under heavy attack as the RSF has tried to control the compound. In an apparent attempt to drive out RSF fighters, the Sudanese army has hit the airport with airstrikes, destroying at least one runway and leaving wrecked planes scattered on the tarmac.

The conflict has opened a dangerous new chapter in the history of Sudan, thrusting the country into uncertainty.

“No one can predict when and how this war will end,” Burhan told Al-Hadath news channel. “I’m in the command center right now and it’s just going to be left in the coffin.”

The current outbreak of violence comes after Burhan and Dagalo collapsed over a new international deal with pro-democracy activists intended to integrate the RSF into the military and eventually lead to civilian rule.

The rival generals rose to power in the wake of a popular uprising that toppled longtime Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Two years later, they joined forces to seize power in a coup that ousted the civilian leader.

The military and the RSF have a long history of human rights abuses. The RSF was born out of the Janjaweed militia, which has been accused of atrocities when it crushed a rebellion in Sudan’s western Darfur region in the early 2000s.