Buses carrying about 300 Americans left Sudan’s war-torn capital late Friday, after Washington came under intense pressure to explain why other countries had rescued their nationals but left thousands of American citizens unaided.
It came as Khartoum continued to rock with the sound of explosions despite a tentative ceasefire, and foreign leaders attempted to broker another truce.
The US convoy reportedly left late Friday for a 525-mile journey to the Red Sea.
It follows a route used by the United Nations and other countries since Sunday and was monitored by armed drones flying overhead, the government said. New York Times.
The effort began as other countries were winding down their rescue efforts.
The UK said it was halting its evacuation flights within the next 24 hours following a drop in demand.
The capital Khartoum has been ravaged by clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the military as rival generals battle for power in Africa’s third-largest country
On Sunday, US special forces carried out a precarious evacuation of the US embassy in Sudan. Images of fleeing foreigners are used by Islamists to say they are winning the war against the West, just like the Taliban did in Afghanistan when Americans fled in 2021
It said it had flown 1,573 people on 13 flights to the Wadi Saeedna airfield near the capital, though there may still be thousands of British passport holders remaining.
Earlier, a State Department spokesman said several hundred US citizens had already left Sudan by land, sea or air, and that officials had helped Americans get seats on allied flights.
“This is a collective and collaborative effort,” said Vedant Patel.
Fewer than 5,000 people have asked the State Department for additional information, and only a fraction of those are Americans who have actively enlisted Washington’s help in leaving the country.
The United Nations says more than 500 people have been killed as two rival generals vie for supremacy.
They each have the support of different regional powers, raising fears of a war that could suck up much of North and East Africa.
The US used a ceasefire last weekend to evacuate the embassy in Khartoum.
And press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States deployed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes, which Americans used.
Pictured: British nationals about to board an RAF aircraft in Sudan, for evacuation to Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus
The Marine Security Guard detachment assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, holds the U.S. flag during a flag folding ceremony at the U.S. Embassy, April 22, 2023
“This is a dynamic environment and each option carries a degree of risk,” she said Thursday.
“However, because the situation is unlikely to improve, we encourage Americans who wish to leave to take advantage of the opportunities available to them over the next 24 to 48 hours.”
Earlier, a US doctor was identified as the second US citizen to have been killed in fierce fighting that has shaken the African nation of Sudan to its foundations.
The death of Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman, a Sudanese American father of four, was announced by the Sudanese American Medical Association.
He was in the capital Khartoum with his wife and two young children while caring for his parents and providing medical assistance during the armed clashes.
He died of stab wounds after being attacked while escorting his father to a medical appointment during a tentative ceasefire.
The death of Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman, a Sudanese American father of four, was announced by the Sudanese American Medical Association. He is the second American to die in Sudan
The fighting pits army chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who has allied himself with the country’s Islamists, against General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (better known as Hemedti) who heads the Rapid Support Forces
“He was someone who believed in Sudan,” his friend and colleague Dr. Yasir Elamin to the BBC World Service.
“He spent a significant amount of his time training the next generation of Sudanese doctors. He was very charismatic… everyone loved him.”
During the fighting, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan’s forces take on General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Both sides have failed to deliver a knockout blow to each other in their battle for control of Africa’s third-largest nation.
The Sudanese army has launched airstrikes against RSF troops across Khartoum and neighboring towns.
At least 512 people have been killed and as many as 4,200 injured in the past two weeks, according to the UN, though the true number is likely much higher.