The U.S. is preparing to position troops in Djibouti ready to evacuate the embassy in Sudan
The Pentagon is preparing to send troops to Djibouti in case the US embassy in Sudan needs to be evacuated – but they won’t help private US citizens flee fighting between rival generals
- Foreign governments are rushing to help civilians fleeing fighting in Sudan
- Hundreds of people have been killed as rival generals vie for supremacy
- deputy sec. of State told Wendy Sherman that legislature troops were getting close
The Pentagon is positioning US troops in Djibouti ahead of a possible operation to evacuate the embassy in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum amid heavy fighting.
Several international auxiliaries have been killed or wounded during a week of fighting between two rival generals, and foreign governments are scrambling to find ways to bring their nationals home.
Things took a turn for the worse on Thursday as armed factions battled near Khartoum’s main military installation, threatening to unravel the latest attempt at a ceasefire.
The US embassy staff is currently sheltering on US grounds, about 13 kilometers from the international airport.
Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, told lawmakers on Wednesday that troops were being sent to a base in Djibouti as officials weighed in to launch an evacuation.
“She has made it clear she has no intention of evacuating American citizens,” said a source familiar with the plan. “She said they had been told for months not to travel there and to leave.”
More than 330 people have been killed in battles pitting the country’s two most powerful generals against each other.
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the Rapid Support Forces, was part of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s military government until a power struggle erupted into violence.
A series of attacks on aid workers and diplomatic officials has raised the alarm in foreign capitals.
Three World Food Program workers were killed this week as fighting spread from the capital to the western region of Darfur.
Wim Fransen, the head of the European Union’s humanitarian aid organization in Sudan, was shot dead in Khartoum on Tuesday.
And Aidan O’Hara, the EU ambassador to Sudan, who is of Irish descent, was injured in an attack on his home.
Earlier this week, a convoy from the US embassy also came under fire.
The Sudanese capital of Khartoum is ravaged by violence as two rival generals vie for control of the country. Foreign governments are weighing how to save their citizens
The plan will place additional troops in Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti ready for an evacuation
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman briefed lawmakers on the fighting and described efforts to prepare for a possible evacuation of the US Embassy in Khartoum
Fires can be seen burning overnight in the capital Khartoum after days of heavy fighting
Wrecked military vehicles in southern Khartoum. About 330 people died in the fighting
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Different countries have taken different approaches to rescuing civilians.
The United States said it was “not safe at the moment” to evacuate civilians.
Japan’s Defense Ministry has positioned military transport aircraft in Djibouti to prepare for the withdrawal of 63 of its nationals.
France has said it is focusing on securing a ceasefire rather than withdrawing its citizens.
The target is Eid, the festival that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and begins on Friday or Saturday.
Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, has said he is ready to conclude a three-day truce.
“We’re talking about a humanitarian truce, we’re talking about safe passages… we’re not talking about sitting down with a criminal,” he told Al Jazeera, referring to Burhan.
Embassy staff in Khartoum are currently sheltering. The embassy can be seen here in 2017