Gunfire continues to shake Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, as a new attempt at a ceasefire between rival forces fails. Foreign countries have struggled to repatriate their citizens due to the ongoing clashes between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group. More than 400 people have been killed in the past week, according to the World Health Organization. The Sudanese army is coordinating efforts to evacuate diplomats from the United States, Britain, China, and France on military airplanes. The country’s main international airport has been heavily shelled, complicating evacuation plans.
Saudi Arabia has already evacuated some of its diplomats from Port Sudan, the country’s main seaport on the Red Sea. Jordan’s diplomats will soon be evacuated in the same way. The Pentagon is moving additional troops and equipment to a naval base in Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation of US embassy personnel from Sudan. However, the US government has stated that it has no plans for a coordinated evacuation of an estimated 16,000 American citizens trapped in Sudan and is urging them to shelter in place.
Foreign countries have ordered their citizens to stay put until they can figure out evacuation plans. With Sudan’s airspace closed, evacuation plans are being complicated. The situation remains tense as the rival forces continue to clash in and around Khartoum, including in residential areas.
