Countries deploy troops near Sudan in anticipated evacuation missions
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The US chief of staff says American forces have been moved closer to the African country awaiting Washington's greenlight on the extraction mission.
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Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) personnel on a tank after recapturing the Daldako area, outside the military headquarters in Kadogl, May 20, 2014 (Reuters)
Fighting in Sudan's capital entered a second week Saturday as crackling gunfire shattered the temporary 72-hour truce, marking the latest battles between forces of rival generals that have already left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
On Saturday morning, bursts of gunfire resumed after the heavy explosions that had previously rocked the city in recent days had calmed down overnight.
In the meantime, the United States said it had been in contact with the chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan as Washington mulls pulling out its embassy staff amid the ongoing escalating military clashes between Sudan's army and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo's Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley discussed with Al-Burhan "the safety of Americans and the developing situation in Sudan," as per the statement of Milley's office.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also said on Friday that the US military is preparing options to evacuate the US Embassy in Sudan amid the fighting that has killed hundreds, mainly in Khartoum and the west of the country
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Friday that the US military has deployed forces close to the African country and will take action when a decision from Washington is made to evacuate embassy staff.
“We’ve deployed some forces into theatre to ensure that we provide as many options as possible if we are called on to do something. And we haven’t been called on to do anything yet,” he told reporters at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
“No decision on anything has been made,” he added, without providing further details on whether the decision would be made public.
Read more: Sudan’s rival generals signal fight till the end: FT
Eid Al-Fitr truce turns bloody
Al-Burhan's forces declared a unilateral three-day truce starting Friday on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Holy month of Ramadan, and wished for the RSF paramilitary organization to comply with the ceasefire.
Despite RSF agreeing on a ceasefire - starting at 6:00 am local time (4:00 GMT) on Friday - the truce did not hold as the warring sides continued their military campaigns across several regions in the country, mostly Sudan's capital Khartoum.
According to Sudan's Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim on Friday, the first day of the Muslim festival known as Eid Al-Fitr saw almost 60 fatalities and more than 200 injuries.
Read more: No diplomatic solution to situation with RSF: Sudan military
Dagalo said on Twitter on Friday evening that he had talked with UN chief Antonio Guterres following the truce announcement to discuss the developing situation.
"Discussed the current crisis with UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. Focused on the humanitarian truce, safe passages, and protecting humanitarian workers. Grateful for his dedication to Sudan's stability & eager for UN increased support," he tweeted.
Discussed the current crisis with UN Secretary-General, @antonioguterres. Focused on the humanitarian truce, safe passages, and protecting humanitarian workers. Grateful for his dedication to Sudan's stability & eager for UN increased support.
— Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (@GeneralDagllo) April 21, 2023
Stranded diplomats
The United States is not the only country whose diplomatic mission is stranded in the wartorn country. Other countries include Germany, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, and South Korea, among others.
The United Nations is also trying to find ways to pull its employees.
Washington will probably focus on establishing a ceasefire to enable any possible evacuation as Sudan's conflict is "unusually difficult", a Western official told Reuters.
“In this case, the civil war starts in the capital, fighting is exactly where the embassies are and where the airport is,” the diplomat told the Reuters news agency.
US President Joe Biden greenlighted the stationing of American troops near Sudan to prepare for a possible evacuation mission, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
According to Reuters, the forces have been moved to Djibouti.
“We are simply pre-positioning some additional capabilities nearby in case that they’re needed,” Kirby said.
But the US overall outlook toward the possibility of a successful extraction mission is short of positive.
Washington has informed its citizens in the African country not to expect a coordinated evacuation.
One US citizen was confirmed dead on Friday by the US State Department due to military clashes in Sudan.
Deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, Vedant Pate, stated that relevant authorities are in contact with hundreds of American citizens in the African country.
UN Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Abdou Dieng, said the international organization has been attempting to assist its staff to relocate from “very dangerous” areas in the country to safer locations. Dieng also noted that he had moved to a secure area last Wednesday.
The United Nations has some 4,000 employees in Sudan, including 800 foreigners.
Sweden and Switzerland announced on Friday that they are considering ways to extract their citizens from Sudan, with Stockholm stating that its embassy staff and their families will be evacuated as soon as possible.
Madrid has deployed a military plane to prepare for an extraction mission of 60 Spanish nationals from Khartoum, while Tokyo said it had moved a military aircraft to a US base in Djibouti and placed it on standby for the nearest opportunity window.
Death tolls higher than recorded
The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded the death of 413 people and 3,551 wounded due to the ongoing fighting across different regions of Sudan - while tolls are probably higher as it is almost impossible to get an accurate number in areas witnessing intense clashes.
The Sudanese Ministry of Health said on Friday that a third of Khartoum hospitals are out of service.
The UN children's agency UNICEF said at least nine children were among the dead and more than 50 had been wounded.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) "implored" the parties to the conflict in Sudan to grant it immediate humanitarian access as provided by the rules of international law, so that the organization can help civilians in need.
"The suffering is made worse by the fact that the ICRC has been unable to get aid to the people who need it most, as the parties have not given us the necessary security guarantees," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said Friday.
"This cannot go on. We implore the parties to grant the ICRC immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to assist Sudanese civilians in need. This is not optional – it is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law,"
Countries around Sudan will be impacted by the wave of immigrants fleeing the warzone, experts warned, with the UN stating that almost 20,000 have escaped Sudan toward Chad.
Read more: Hijacked tweets and the clashes in Sudan
