The Pentagon says it has moved “military capabilities” to Sudan in case it needs to facilitate the departure of embassy personnel.
Washington, D.C. – The United States is deploying additional “military capabilities” in the region around Sudan to prepare for the possible evacuation of U.S. embassy personnel in Khartoum if violence worsens, the Pentagon said.
US Defense Department spokesman Phil Ventura said Thursday that the Pentagon is conducting “cautious planning” for different scenarios in Sudan, where the conflict between generals leading a paramilitary group and the military could turn into all-out war.
“As part of this, we are deploying additional capabilities close to the region for emergencies related to securing and potentially facilitating the departure of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan, if circumstances warrant,” Ventura said in a statement.
US troops have been deployed to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, the Reuters and AP news agencies reported, citing government officials.
Clashes erupted last week between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), loyal to General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, killing more than 300 people and thousands in their homes in Khartoum.
On Thursday, Washington urged both generals to extend a fragile ceasefire, which expired late Thursday, to cover the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday through Sunday.
US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel stressed that there is “no military solution” to the crisis.
“In the strongest terms, the United States condemns the violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces,” he said.
Patel added that U.S. embassy staff in Khartoum remain safe and accountable. He said US citizens in the country should “stay indoors”, stay off the roads, shelter in place and avoid travel.
The airport in Khartoum has been closed for days as both sides of the conflict exert pressure to bring it under control.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken by phone with al-Burhan and Hemedti earlier this week and also called for a ceasefire.
“The people of Sudan have made their democratic aspirations clear,” Blinken said on Tuesday. “After months of talks, they were close to restoring a civilian-led government. We remain committed to helping them achieve that goal. At the same time, we will take all appropriate measures to ensure the safety of our people.”
After years of animosity, ties between Khartoum and Washington had been heating up since the Sudanese military removed President Omar al-Bashir from power in 2019 following months of anti-government protests.
The two countries restored diplomatic ties in 2020. Sudan also agreed to normalize relations with Israel and was removed from the US list of “state sponsors of terrorism”.
Over the past year, Washington has pushed for a transition to civilian and democratic governance in Sudan.
The Sudanese army staged a coup against Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s civilian government in October 2021, leading to his resignation in early 2022.
Before the recent violence broke out earlier this month, Sudanese leaders were supposed to sign an agreement to return the country to its democratic transition, but the agreement was postponed due to outstanding disagreements.
“The most important thing now is to reach a truce, at least for the Eid period,” Timothy Carney, the former US ambassador to Sudan, told Al Jazeera on Thursday.
He said he believes Washington is “cooperating with the regional powers to maintain verbal pressure on the combatants to negotiate a truce that leads to negotiations.”