Showing posts with label Somalia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Somalia. Show all posts

Sunday, March 03, 2024

Sudan: SAF chief urges to restore membership in AU

RESTORING Sudan's membership in the African Union is good news. Africa is the world's second largest continent and contains over 50 countries. 

Report from Xinhua China View
By Editor: Huaxia
Dated Monday, 04 March 2024, 02:56:15 - here is a copy in full:

Sudan's army chief urges for restoring membership in AU


KHARTOUM, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, stressed on Sunday Sudan's confidence in the African Union (AU), calling for the restoration of Sudan's full membership in the regional organization.


Al-Burhan made the remarks when he received the delegation of the AU High-Level Panel on the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan, led by Mohamed Ibn Chambas, in Port Sudan, the capital city of the Red Sea state, the sovereign council said in a statement.


"Al-Burhan expressed Sudan's confidence in the African Union and the solutions it could offer, provided that Sudan deals with the organization as a full member," the statement said.


Al-Burhan further stressed that the basis of the solution lies in the withdrawal of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from the cities and villages they occupied.


For his part, Ibn Chambas stressed the need to stop the conflict and achieve stability for Sudan and its people, according to the statement.


He pointed to the AU high-level panel's keenness and endeavor to find solutions to the crisis, noting that the panel listened to all Sudanese political forces.


On Jan. 17, the AU announced the formation of a High-Level Panel on the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan. The panel consists of three African figures, including Ibn Chambas as chairman, besides Speciosa Wandira-Kazibwe, former vice president of the Republic of Uganda, and Francisco Madeira, former special representative of the chairperson of the Commission to Somalia, as members.


The AU had frozen Sudan's membership after Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, 2021, and dissolved the Sovereign Council and the transitional government which was headed by the then Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.


Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF since April 15, 2023. More than 13,000 people have been killed since the fighting broke out, according to recent estimates released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 


Source: http://www.chinaview.cn/africa/20240304/db8052893099462796fae829cb34545b/c.html


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Saturday, January 20, 2024

IGAD gives Sudan’s warring factions 2 weeks to meet

SEEMS the following demands made at today's (Saturday) IGAD meeting in Kampala, Uganda occurred after Sudan suspended its membership of IGAD:

"In a communique, read by Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the heads of states, including Presidents William Ruto of Kenya and Salva Kiir of South Sudan, along with representatives of the European Union, African Union and the United Nations, outlined their demands to the warring factions.

According to the communique, the conflict must be resolved by the Sudanese without any external interference. The IGAD leaders condemned the ongoing conflict that has caused suffering, with people losing hope and the state about to collapse". Read more.


From Observer Uganda

Written by VOA (Voice of America)

Dated Saturday, 20 January 2024 - here is a copy in full:


IGAD gives Sudan’s warring factions two weeks to meet

South Sudan President Salva Kiir at IGAD meeting


East Africa’s Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has given Sudan’s warring factions two weeks to meet face-to-face to de-escalate the situation.


The meeting, which also discussed the tension between Ethiopia and Somalia, made it clear that Somalia’s integrity must be respected. The IGAD meeting in Kampala described the conflict and political tension in the Horn of Africa and Sudan as a disturbing, senseless and devastating development.


Djibouti President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, also the IGAD chairperson, said the group’s heads of state met with a sense of urgency as the region grapples with challenging times. The conflict in Sudan broke out in April between the national army, led by Gen Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo of the Rapid Support Forces. Since then, 7 million people have been displaced and 12,000 have been killed.


Sudan suspended its participation in the Kampala IGAD summit, accusing the regional body of violating its sovereignty and setting a dangerous precedent.


In a communique, read by Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the heads of states, including Presidents William Ruto of Kenya and Salva Kiir of South Sudan, along with representatives of the European Union, African Union and the United Nations, outlined their demands to the warring factions.


According to the communique, the conflict must be resolved by the Sudanese without any external interference. The IGAD leaders condemned the ongoing conflict that has caused suffering, with people losing hope and the state about to collapse.


The Rapid Support Forces has specifically been accused of mass killings and use of rape as a weapon of war, especially in Darfur. Both parties have been accused of war crimes. Meanwhile, IGAD expressed concern about relations between Ethiopia and Somalia.


Early this month, Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, giving Ethiopia access to the sea. In return, Ethiopia would consider recognizing Somaliland as an independent country. IGAD reaffirmed that any such agreement should be with Somalia.


Mike Hammer, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, said the US is particularly concerned that the agreement could disrupt the fight that Somalis, Africa and regional partners are waging against the terrorist group al-Shabaab.


"We have already seen troubling indications that al-Shabab is using the MOU to generate new recruits," he said. "We urge both sides to avoid precipitous actions including related to existing Ethiopian force deployment to Somalia that could create opportunities for al-Shabab to expand its reach within Somalia and into Ethiopia."


The African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat urged both Somalia and Ethiopia to engage without delay, saying the tension compounds an already difficult time for the region.


View original: https://observer.ug/news/headlines/80338-igad-gives-sudan-s-warring-factions-two-weeks-to-meet


ENDS

Friday, December 15, 2023

South Sudan named in most dangerous countries to visit - “security” highest warning level of “extreme”

Report from The Independent - independent.co.uk/news/world
By Helen Coffey
Dated Friday, 15 December 2023 - here is a copy in full:

World’s most dangerous countries to visit in 2024 revealed

Lebanon, Palestinian Territories and Russia have all seen notable risk rating increases


The world’s most dangerous countries to visit in 2024 have been revealed in a new study.


South Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Somalia were named as the riskiest nations in the 2024 risk map compiled by medical and security consultancy International SOS.


The annual map assesses various factors to inform travellers and businesses about potential threats in countries across the globe.

It pulls together medical and security risk ratings, reflecting the impact of events such as the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas.


This year, for the first time, the map also includes ratings based on the dangers of climate change, after International SOS saw a rising trend in the number of climate-related alerts being issued to clients as rising global temperatures increased health risks around the world.


The data, compiled by Inform (a collaboration between the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change and Joint Research Centre of European Commission), estimates the future risk of humanitarian crises and disasters caused by climate change.


“Just one example, the extreme heat events this year, with the first ever named heatwave Cerberus hitting Europe, may become commonplace,” said Dr Irene Lai, global medical director at International SOS.


“In addition to the physical impacts of extreme heat, there can be significant negative effects on mental health. It is essential businesses plan for this, adapting our way of living and working to protect health, while also taking steps to slow and eventually reverse the trend in rising temperatures.”


Countries were graded for each category of risk – medical, security and climate change – on a five-level scale ranging from “low” to “very high” for medical and climate change, and “insignificant” to “extreme” for security.


For “security”, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Somalia were all given the highest warning level of “extreme”.


Parts of Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Russia and across the Sahel all saw increases in security risk, alongside Ecuador and parts of Colombia following a rise in criminality and unrest.


View original: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/most-dangerous-countries-world-2024-b2464568.html


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Sunday, July 09, 2023

IGAD seeks summit to deploy EASF troops in Sudan

IGAD said in a statement today it had agreed to request a summit of another regional body, the 10-member Eastern Africa Standby Force, "to consider the possible deployment of the EASF for the protection of civilians and guarantee humanitarian access". Sudan is a member of both bodies, as are Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda. 


Unlike the talks in Jeddah, the IGAD meeting in Addis Ababa today was attended by members of a civilian coalition that shared power with the military in Sudan before a coup in 2021. IGAD said that along with the African Union, it would immediately start a "civilian engagement process" aimed at delivering peace. Read more.


Report by Reuters reprinted at yahoo.com

Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw and Hereward Holland

Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Peter Graff

Published Monday 10 July 2023, 4:18 PM GMT+1 - here is a full copy:


Eastern African bloc seeks summit to deploy regional force in Sudan


ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - An eastern African bloc called on Monday for a regional summit to consider deploying troops into Sudan to protect civilians, after nearly three months of violence between the army and a paramilitary faction.


Fighting that erupted on April 15 in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, has spread to other parts of the country and driven more than 2.9 million people from their homes.


The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), made up of eight states in and around the Horn of Africa, met in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to kick-start a peace process for the conflict in Sudan.


But the initiative faced a setback as a delegation from Sudan's army failed to attend the first day of meetings, having rejected Kenya's president as head of the committee facilitating the talks.


IGAD said in a statement it had agreed to request a summit of another regional body, the 10-member Eastern Africa Standby Force, "to consider the possible deployment of the EASF for the protection of civilians and guarantee humanitarian access".


Sudan is a member of both bodies, as are Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.


Diplomatic efforts to halt fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have so far proved ineffective, with competing initiatives creating confusion over how the warring parties might be brought to negotiate.


IGAD said it regretted the absence of a delegation from the Sudan army, which it said had earlier confirmed attendance.


Sudan's foreign affairs ministry, which is controlled by the army, said the delegation did not turn up because IGAD had ignored its request to replace Kenya's President William Ruto as head of the committee spearheading the talks.


Ruto "lacks impartiality in the ongoing crisis," the ministry said through the state news agency. Last month it accused Kenya of harbouring the RSF.


Neither Ruto's office nor the Kenyan ministry of foreign affairs responded immediately when Reuters sought comment. The Kenyan government said last month the president was a neutral arbiter who was duly appointed by the IGAD summit.


Following the meeting, Ruto called for an unconditional ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian zone — spanning a radius of 30 kilometres in Khartoum — to aid the delivery of humanitarian assistance.


Talks hosted in Jeddah and sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia were suspended last month. Egypt has said it would host a separate summit of Sudan's neighbours on July 13 to discuss ways to end the conflict.


Unlike the talks in Jeddah, the meeting in Addis Ababa was attended by members of a civilian coalition that shared power with the military in Sudan before a coup in 2021.


IGAD said that along with the African Union, it would immediately start a "civilian engagement process" aimed at delivering peace.


FILE PHOTO: Man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment in Khartoum North


(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw and Hereward Holland; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Peter Graff)


View original: https://news.yahoo.com/eastern-african-bloc-seeks-summit-151822183.html 

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Related reports


Sudan Watch - 27 May 2023

Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) starts 2-week training rapid reaction forces at UN centre in Uganda

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/05/eastern-africa-standby-force-easf.html


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Monday, June 19, 2023

Kenya's Ruto takes over Sudan crisis peace talks

NOTE, Talented cartoonist Omar Defallah always paints Hemeti with flip-flops on or near his feet. Sometimes they're pink! 

Cartoon by Omar Defallah  

Source: Radio Dabanga report 04 June 2023 US/Saudi Arabian facilitators ‘stand ready to resume Jeddah talks on Sudan’

_________________________________


Report at Kenyans.co.ke

By MARK OBAR 

Dated Tuesday, 13 June 2023; 11:45 am - full copy:

 

Ruto Takes Over Sudan Crisis Peace Talks After US Gives Up

Photo collage between President William Ruto and US President Joe Biden 

Speaking on Sunday, April 23, 2023. PCS POTUS


Kenya, on Monday, June 12, agreed to mediate in the Sudan conflict after efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia to broker a ceasefire collapsed. 


President William Ruto stated that Kenya had a strong track record in mediating peace agreements in the region and that he was confident of ending the violence in Sudan.


In a concerted effort by  Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries, Ruto will seek to have the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) embrace new talks. 


"We will, in the next ten days, meet face to face with General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan so that we can speak to them directly on behalf of IGAD, with a view of stopping the war that is raging in Sudan

Part of a group of students who fled Sudan on Monday, April 24, 2023. PHOTO ROSELYN NJOGU


"We will ask them to cease all manner of hostilities and ensure that we have a commitment from them to stop the war that is going on in Sudan," Ruto stated.


In the strategy designed by the IGAD security organ, President Ruto, alongside three other leaders from Ethiopia, Djibouti, South Sudan and Somalia, will hold the talks in Nairobi. 


After the warring factions failed to agree on ending the ongoing conflict, IGAD expanded the initial team, which comprised South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti.


Fighting resumed on Sunday, June 11, with renewed intensity following the end of a 24-hour ceasefire brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia on Saturday.


Reports indicated there were sounds of air raids, artillery shelling and machine guns barely 30 minutes after the ceasefire ended in the morning.


Through the facilitation of the United States and Saudi Arabia, Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his nemesis Mohamed Daglo Hemedti's sides had signed seven ceasefire deals, all broken within hours of declaration.


“The Sudanese Armed Forces (Saf) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) demonstrated effective command and control over their forces, resulting in reduced fighting throughout Sudan that enabled the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance and the achievement of some confidence building measures,’ a statement from the Jeddah talks read.


Mediations which were ongoing in Jeddah, and facilitated by Saudi Arabia and the US, were suspended, with mediators accusing parties of lacking seriousness. The US, however, was open to negotiating the talks afresh once assured that the warring factions had considered the gravity of the matter.


The UN estimated that at least 1,800 people were killed and more than 5,100 have been injured as of June 12, 2023. More than 200,000 people were also displaced from their homes.

Defence CS, Aden Duale, receives Kenyans who were rescued from Sudan by Kenya Air Force on April 25, 2023. PHOTO ADEN DUALE

View original: https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/90330-ruto-takes-over-sudan-crisis-peace-talks-after-us-gives

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Sudan Watch Editor Postscript:

This fun-fact tweet puts the latest news on the US-Saudi led ceasefire talks and US sanctions in a nutshell and saves me having to curate and publish ten long reads for posterity here at Sudan Watch...

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Monday, May 15, 2023

Jan Pronk: "Sudan? Europe is busy with itself"

NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: This report was written in Dutch by Prof Jan Pronk of The Netherlands, UN Special Envoy to Sudan from 2004 to 2006. 

Google Translator enabled me to produce the following translation but it doesn't do justice to his excellent English, communication and writing skills. 

Hopefully, readers will make allowances for this version that's been stripped of the personality and character of a great humanitarian by a machine.

Jan Pronk (pictured) was UN Special Envoy to Sudan from 2004 to 2006.

Opinion editorial from NRC Netherlands - https://www.nrc.nl/

By JAN PRONK

Dated 05 May 2023 - full copy, translated from original Dutch version:

Jan Pronk: "Sudan? Europe is busy with itself"


Sudan Diplomatic pressure was minimal, economic sanctions were not forthcoming, the arms trade flourished. In the run-up to the civil war in Sudan, the international community has looked away, writes Jan Pronk

Sudanese refugees just across the border in Chad, near Koufroun.

Photo Gueipeur Denis Sassou / AFP)


Was to prevent the civil war in Sudan, which erupted last month? When conflicts arise mainly from deeper internal contradictions – ethnic, religious or economic – it is difficult to get a grip on them from the outside. We learned that lesson. International intervention consists mainly of humanitarian aid. 


And UN peacekeeping operations, if they take place at all, are given a limited mandate: protect victims and try to stabilize the situation so that conflict parties can seek a political solution themselves. But no matter how limited that ambition is compared to thirty years ago, the results are small. More and more countries in Africa and Asia are plagued by internal conflicts of violence. The number of victims and refugees is increasing alarmingly.


Sudan, too, has been hit by deep divisions since it gained independence in 1956. The civil war between North and South claimed hundreds of thousands of victims. He ended in 2012 with the declaration of South Sudan as an independent state. The genocide in Darfur, shortly after the beginning of this century, is not yet history. Throughout Sudan, North and South, ethnic conflicts continue to cause casualties. 


Throughout Sudan, North and South, ethnic conflicts continue to cause casualties. Contradictions between Islamic fundamentalists and others are becoming sharper. The distance between the population in the Nile Delta and beyond is increasing. Economic inequality is widening. Young people see less and less perspective.


But the battle between President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's army and the militias of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemedti) is mainly about power and control over the country's wealth. Other contradictions were subordinated to the interests of the army and paramilitaries. 


But while the underlying contradictions cannot be easily influenced from the outside, the outside world did have the opportunity to prevent the current brutal power struggle. That has not been done.


On horseback and by camel


When an uprising broke out in Darfur in 2003 against the regime in Khartoum, President Bashir, who had come to power in a military coup in 1990, tried to defeat the guerrillas by deploying militias of Arab tribes.


The army couldn't do it alone. Many soldiers were from Darfur themselves and unwilling to go all out. The militias did. They were given carte blanche and made no distinction between rebels and unarmed civilians.


The army cooperated with them by carrying out bombing raids. The population fled in panic and fell prey to pursuers on horseback and by camel. Villages were set on fire and wiped off the map. Immediately afterwards, the militias disappeared like snow in the sun, until another attack. Four hundred thousand people died.


Two million others fled to camps in Darfur and Chad, across the border. They were received by the UN and aid workers, but were not safe there.


Bashir and his predecessors had used the same tactic before, in the fight against the South. It was a tried and tested method and it cost Khartoum little. The militias were allowed to loot and loot at will. 


In Darfur they were known as the Janjaweed: 'Devils with a horse and a gun'. They did not need heavier weapons to kill women, children and unarmed elderly men. Large parts of Darfur were ethnically 'cleansed'.


Villages were set on fire and wiped off the map


The international uproar over the genocide was great. Then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan personally negotiated with Bashir in Khartoum and reached an agreement. The Janjaweed would be disarmed. But that didn't happen. The Security Council protested, but did not act. 


The killing continued. Negotiations between the government and the rebels resulted in a peace agreement, but that did not last. The army attacked villages where it suspected that the villagers were sheltering rebels, even though the inhabitants themselves adhered to the truce.


The international outrage over the actions of the Janjaweed and the army was not followed up. Bashir was summoned by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He didn't come.


If he visited another country, he was obliged to arrest him. That didn't happen. He visited Qatar, met the new UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, who was content to shake his hand. 


The Security Council kept quiet so as not to jeopardize Bashir's agreement to South Sudan's coming independence. The regime got away with everything. So does the Janjaweed. Diplomatic pressure was minimal. There was no political pressure. Economic sanctions as well. The arms trade flourished. 


The Janjaweed were transformed into Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The former genocide perpetrators received support from the European Union to guard Sudan's borders and stop refugees who wanted to move to Europe via Chad and Libya. Brussels hypocrisy at its best.


Gulf states jump into the hole


In 2018, civilians revolted against the regime. For the first time in thirty there was a loud call for democracy. Bashir was jailed on charges of corruption — not war crimes.


The new ruler Burhan promised to cooperate in the formation of a civilian government. It came for a while, but was sent away two years later by the military and the RSF with combined forces. The Janjaweed-new-style resumed cooperation with the army.


It was agreed to integrate the militias into the army, but they now had so many weapons and money that they felt strong enough to resist. That was the beginning of this civil war.


The civilian population was defeated and slaughtered. The outside world had looked to the side for the umpteenth time. Foreigners were picked up in haste, as they were in Afghanistan, Rwanda and Vietnam. It stands in stark contrast to the EU's treatment of African, Arab and Asian refugees trying to escape war, oppression and genocide.


China, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states are jumping into the gap left by Europe. The EU lacks a vision of Sudan and other countries in the region. Things are just as bad there. In Chad it was unsettled, in Ethiopia war was fought this year. Eritrea and Egypt are ruled by dictators.


Somalia is being held hostage by the al-Shabab terror group. In Uganda, repression of dissenters is on the rise. Eastern Congo and the Central African Republic are prey for warlords. Libya is falling apart.


Europe is busy with itself. The problems are indeed great. But those who look away from the problems across the border become problem owners. We already are.


View original: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/05/05/soedan-europa-heeft-het-druk-met-zichzelf-a4163865


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Saturday, April 22, 2023

No evacuation plans for all Americans in Sudan

Report from The Associated Press

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, MATTHEW LEE and TARA COPP

Friday 21 April 2023 - full copy


White House: No evacuation plans for all Americans in Sudan


RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — The Pentagon has deployed forces and is developing options to assist in the possible evacuation of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan, but the White House said Friday there are no plans for now for a broader pullout of the potentially thousands of other Americans from the African country where warring factions are in a violent conflict.


The troop moves by the U.S. military are intended “to ensure that we provide as many options as possible, if we are called on to do something. We haven’t been called on to do anything yet,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a news conference in Germany. Austin and U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, held meeting meetings with defense leaders from other countries to discuss additional support for Ukraine


An estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens are registered with the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum as being in Sudan. The State Department has cautioned that that figure probably is inaccurate because there is no requirement for Americans to register nor is there a requirement to notify the embassy when they leave.


“It’s absolutely imperative that U.S. citizens in Sudan make their own arrangements to stay safe in these difficult circumstances,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in Washington.


He added that “Americans should have no expectation of a U.S. government coordinated evacuation at this time. And we expect that that’s going to remain the case.” 


For embassy staff, according to an American official, a small number of U.S. troops have begun arriving in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, where the U.S. is pre-positioning forces and equipment to assist in any potential evacuation. The official said Army soldiers are being tapped for the task.


The U.S. troops are being moved to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. Evacuation planning for Sudan got underway in earnest on Monday after a U.S. Embassy convoy was attacked in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.


The conflict between Sudan’s military and a rival paramilitary force is worsening. The military has ruled out negotiations and said it would only accept surrender as a temporary cease-fire ended, raising the likelihood of a renewed surge in the nearly weeklong violence that has killed hundreds.


The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations, said Milley discussed the situation with defense officials from Germany, Italy and Canada, among others. One topic was ensuring that any potential evacuation efforts did not conflict.


The U.S. State Department said Friday that an American citizen had died in Sudan, but did not have further details. 


“We are in touch with the family and offer our deepest condolences to them on their loss. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have nothing further to add,” the department said in a statement. 


Lee and Copp reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.


View original: https://apnews.com/article/united-states-sudan-djibouti-evacuation-2773f4922611aeed462652f178745688

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