Sudan news round-up by Guardian Mon 24 Apr 2023

UN staff are evacuated from Port Sudan. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

From The Guardian, UK

A roundup of today’s news from The Guardian LIVE reporting

By Harry Taylor Monday 24 April 2023 18:54 BST UK

Summary

The time is approaching 8pm in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, which has been the site of fierce fighting which has led to a mass exodus and evacuation effort from the north-eastern African country.

Gun fire has been heard in Khartoum as fighting continues between the Rapid Support Force, a paramilitary group who follows the former warlord Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is also known as Hemedti, and the Sudanese army forces loyal to Abdulfatah al-Burhan, the current de facto leader of Sudan.

Here is a roundup of today’s news.

A British RAF plane has landed at port city in the north-east of Sudan as a British minister said that the UK is evaluating further military options for rescuing non-diplomats from the country by land, sea and air. 

A C17 Globemaster is on the ground at Port Sudan with some troops who may form part of a second rescue organised by the UK following Sunday’s controversial evacuation of British diplomats from the capital, Khartoum, but not other UK nationals. 

The head of the UN António Guterres has warned that the situation could engulf the whole region and that Sudan stands on the “abyss”. He said: “Let me be clear: the United Nations is not leaving Sudan. Our commitment is to the Sudanese people, in support of their wishes for a peaceful and secure future. We stand with them at this terrible time. We must all do everything within our power to pull Sudan back from the edge of the abyss.” 

The French embassy in Khartoum will be closed until further notice. France has airlifted 491 people from 36 countries, including 12 EU nations, to Djibouti since Sunday, according to the ministry, Agence France Presse (AFP) reports. It has also sent a warship as part of the rescue effort. 

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has raised concerns about the Russian mercenary force, the Wagner group, operating in Sudan. Wagner, who were founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, have been heavily engaged in the conflict in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. There is now a suggestion the group is active in Sudan. He told a press conference: “We do have deep concern about the engagement of the Prigozhin group – the Wagner group – in Sudan.” 

Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has said that the country has been able to fly more than 300 people out of Sudan. 

The US is pushing for a ceasefire between the two warring factions in Sudan to be broadened to help bring the conflict to an end. Secretary of state Antony Blinken told a news conference that was talking “directly” with military leaders. Israel has offered to host ceasefire talks. 

The British ambassador to Sudan was on holiday when fighting broke out in the country’s capital Khartoum, according to a report in the Times of London.

That’s all from me today. I will be handing over to my colleague Gloria Oladipo.

This photograph from the Etat Major des Armees (French defence staff) shows French military personnel at French military airbase in Djibouti before they fly for Khartoum during the "Sagittaire" evacuation of about 100 people from Sudan on the first French flight out of the war-hit country after a "complicated" rescue operation.  Photo: Adj Laure-Anne Maucorps Ep Derri/Etat Major des Armées/AFP/Getty Images

Evacuees from Sudan arrive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. Photograph: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

View the Guardian's Live Reporting here or here.

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French rescue 100+ from Sudan and helped Greece evacuate some of its citizens, including 2 wounded

Report from International Business Times.com

By Agence France-Presse News (AFP)

Sunday 23 April 2023 a 4:30 PM EDT

French Rescue More Than 100 From Sudan

Those evacuated so far include people from Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Ethiopia and Morocco, said one official AFP

More than 100 people have been evacuated from Sudan on the first French flight out of the war-hit country after a "complicated" rescue operation, French officials said on Sunday.

According to a Djibouti airport source, 106 people landed in Djibouti by late afternoon, while a French official said another flight was on the way.

"A plane has landed and another is in the air", each plane allowing the evacuation of "a hundred people", the French military said.

The first rescue flight to Djibouti carried citizens from Britain, France, Germany, and Switzerland as well as African nations such as Ethiopia and Morocco, an official from the foreign ministry said on condition of anonymity.

And the foreign ministry in Athens said France had helped it evacuated some of its citizens, including two wounded.

"They're tired, tense, but very relieved to have arrived safe and sound," he said.

The evacuees had to cross the frontline of fighting around the capital Khartoum to board the planes, with the French embassy helping negotiate a ceasefire with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that is battling the army.

"I must stress the complicated nature of this operation," the official said.

Some 150 troops were deployed including "elements of protection, others of reconnaissance, logistical support and medical personnel", in a "volatile situation", where the two sides "continue to wage war, even during the truces", the French general staff said.

Reconnaissance operations were carried out to "secure" the routes taken by the civilians to get to an airport in the Khartoum region, said this source.

Asked about unconfirmed reports that a French national had been injured on Sunday when the rescue convoy was fired upon, a defence ministry official declined to comment.

"With the operation ongoing, we do not want to comment on this type of rumour," an official from the defence ministry said, speaking during the same briefing with reporters.

They gave details of the long planning process and negotiations leading up to Sunday's operations.

Locating French and other foreign nationals has been difficult because of the lack of phone network coverage and electricity.

An evacuation mission by road was considered, but then discarded due to security concerns as well as the difficulties in supplying it with food and fuel.

Once the airborne option was chosen, President Emmanuel Macron called his Ethiopian counterpart to request permission for the flights to use Ethiopian air space on their way to Djibouti.

"We had difficulties with some countries which had closed their air space," the foreign ministry official said.

A doctor was on board the French plane to assist evacuees, many of whom were "understandably psychologically affected" by their ordeal in Khartoum where food and fuel are in short supply, the official added.

Other French rescue flights are expected on Monday morning.

© Copyright AFP 2023. All rights reserved.

View original: 

https://www.ibtimes.com/french-rescue-more-100-sudan-3688382

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Canada suspends Sudan consular services as diplomats evacuated to “temporarily work from a safe location outside the country” to help citizens in Sudan

Report from THE CANADIAN PRESS

By Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

Sunday 23 April 2023 12:30 p.m. - full copy:

Canada suspends Sudan consular services as diplomats evacuated

More than 420 people killed, thousands injured in conflict between government and paramilitary group

Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 22, 2023. The fighting in the capital between the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces resumed after an internationally brokered cease-fire failed. Ottawa has suspended consular services in Sudan as reports merge of allied countries evacuating Canadian diplomats. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Marwan Ali

Canada suspended consular services in Sudan on Sunday (April 23) amid reports of allied countries evacuating Canadian diplomats and as armed conflict escalates in the East-African country.

Global Affairs Canada said Canadian diplomats would “temporarily work from a safe location outside the country” while still trying to help citizens in Sudan.

The Associated Press reports that more than 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed and over 3,700 wounded in the fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

Those deaths occurred in just nine days after power-sharing negotiations between the two groups deteriorated.

Global Affairs said there were 1,596 Canadian citizens formally registered as being in Sudan as of Saturday.

But Nicholas Coghlan, Canada’s former top envoy to Sudan, said in a Sunday interview that the number is likely “considerably higher,” with many being dual nationals.

He said many Canadians abroad see registering as a needless hassle, while others believe their information will be shared with other branches of government such as the Canada Revenue Agency, despite laws preventing such data transfers.

Coghlan was also Canada’s first ambassador to South Sudan when it separated from that country in 2011, and he oversaw an evacuation of citizens after a civil war broke out in 2013.

At that time, less than 20 Canadian citizens were registered in South Sudan, but roughly 140 ended up being evacuated in less than a week.

Canada first evacuated those easily reachable in the capital of Juba who wanted to leave, and then worked to identify others and get them onto roughly weekly flights operated by one of Canada’s allies.

The ongoing situation in Sudan is likely different, Coghlan said, because the clashing forces are deliberately targeting airports as strategic locations in a turf war.

The Associated Press reports that fighting at the country’s main international airport in the capital city of Khartoum has destroyed civilian planes and damaged at least one runway.

Canada’s embassy sits near that airport, making it one of the most dangerous areas in the country, Coghlan said.

The New York Times reported Sunday that U.S. special forces evacuated six Canadian diplomats, along with 70 American diplomats and some from other countries.

The BBC, meanwhile, reported Canadians were among a group evacuated by sea to Saudi Arabia. Global Affairs did not immediately confirm those reports.

Overland travel through contested areas has proven dangerous. Khartoum is about 840 kilometres from Port Sudan, on the Red Sea. Both the country’s militias have accused each other of obstructing evacuations.

Coghlan said Sunday’s announced suspension of consular services means Canadian citizens who need emergency passports to leave Sudan likely have no chance of getting them, because Ottawa deemed it too risky to keep a scaled-down operation running in the country.

He said many dual nationals likely have expired passports or insufficient paperwork to get on a flight.

Some registered Canadians likely work for the United Nations or aid organizations, who can help extract them, but many will be private citizens with family ties to Sudan who will be left to their own devices.

Reports from Sudan’s Arqin border crossing with Egypt suggest 30 packed coaches were trying to reach safety.

Sudan experienced a “near-total collapse” of countrywide internet and phone connections Sunday, according to the monitoring service NetBlocks.

Coghlan said many Sudanese will likely feel let down by western countries, particularly those critical of how the world handled the heads of the two duelling forces ever since an October 2021 coup d’état.

“The signal that’s been sent there is (that) there is a perception of people leaving the sinking ship,” he said,

“That’s how it looks, a sense of abandonment, for sure.”

The federal government is not evacuating its locally hired Sudanese staff, saying it is “looking at all possible options to support them.”

Coghlan said the issue of how to handle locals is always sensitive.

“The harsh reality is they are typically left to their own devices,” he said.

“That’s controversial within Global Affairs (Canada), out of a sense that we depend on these people 100 per cent.”

Last summer, the Liberals came under fire over allegations that Canada did not heed intelligence warnings about the safety of its Ukraine embassy’s locally engaged staff ahead of Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion. The allegations, which have not been proven, include claims that other western countries had evacuated Ukrainians listed as targets by Moscow.

Coghlan said the current Sudan conflict, unlike the Ukraine invasion and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, does not have a focus on western policy.

He stressed that situation is dynamic and he does not have the full facts surrounding Ottawa’s choice to pull out diplomats and end consular services.

“The minister had a very hard decision to make here,” he said. “It’s very easy to be an armchair quarterback on this.”

READ ALSO: Why Sudan’s conflict matters to the rest of the world

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View original:

https://www.westerlynews.ca/news/canada-suspends-sudan-consular-services-as-diplomats-evacuated/

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Irish army to help evacuate citizens from Sudan

Report from BBC News

Sunday 23 April 2023, 8:24 PM GMT+1 - excerpts:

Irish army personnel to help evacuate citizens from Sudan

The conflict unfolding in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and other regions has led to evacuations

Personnel from the Irish Defence Forces will be deployed to help evacuate citizens from Sudan.

The measure was approved by the government on Sunday amid a worsening security situation in the African country.

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said it is in contact with more than 150 Irish citizens in Sudan.

Twelve armed forces personnel will initially be deployed to Djibouti, on the east African coast. [...]

The Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) will provide consular and other assistance to Irish citizens and their dependents being evacuated.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar [pictured] said the situation in Sudan's capital Khartoum had "got worse in the last few days, and violence is being reported across the city".

"The situation on the ground in Sudan remains extremely volatile and I wish the ECAT and Defence Forces team every success in this mission," he added.

The US and UK announced on Sunday that they had flown diplomats out of the country.

British diplomats and their families were evacuated from Sudan in a "complex and rapid" operation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed.

Mr Sunak said work was continuing to ensure the safety of British nationals who remain in Sudan.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said there were "specific threats and violence directed towards diplomats" which led to the decision to evacuate staff.

He said that by relocating the embassy to a nearby country, diplomats could provide more assistance to those in Sudan.

But he said the government's ability to evacuate other British nationals was "severely limited" until fighting between warring parties stopped.

UK citizens in Sudan are being urged to tell the Foreign Office where they are in case more help becomes available, and a hotline has been set up for those who need urgent help.

Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Japan and the Netherlands said they were also organising evacuations, starting on Sunday.

On Saturday, more than 150 people, mostly citizens of Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Canada were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah.

The World Health Organization says the fighting has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands. However, the death toll is believed to be much higher as people are struggling to get healthcare, as most of Khartoum's hospitals have been forced to close by the fighting.

View original: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/irish-army-personnel-help-evacuate-155748352.html

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How elite team of British troops evacuated UK diplomats from Khartoum. Britons in Sudan tell FCDO

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: The following report reveals something of the 1,200 British personal involved in the evacuation of diplomats in Khartoum but gives no credit to UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace, an excellent defence chief with an interesting military career. 

The report says, British nationals, or those with UK passports, can tell the government if they are trapped in Sudan by using this form. More below.

Note that Russia is UN Security Council president in April. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to chair meetings. On Tuesday, there will be an open briefing and closed consultations on Sudan. 

The UK (the penholder on the file) requested the meeting* to discuss developments in the country after fighting erupted on 15 April in and around Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces. At the time of writing, the briefers for the meeting had yet to be confirmed.

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Report from Sky News UK

By Deborah Haynes

Security and Defence Editor @haynesdeborah

Sunday 23 April 2023 18:00, BST UK

Exclusive

Sudan: How elite team of British troops evacuated UK diplomats from warzone capital

The team of British soldiers with the diplomats had to travel from their assembly point in Khartoum to the airfield - a journey of about 30km (18 miles), through multiple checkpoints.

The covert mission to evacuate British diplomats and their families from Sudan's warzone capital began under the cover of darkness.

A team of elite British troops flew into Khartoum late on Saturday night on board an American military aircraft that was part of a separate but coordinated US evacuation mission.

Upon landing, the British soldiers left their American counterparts, acquired a number of local vehicles and drove across the city towards where the UK embassy is located.

Play Video - British nationals 'remain a top priority 2:19

British nationals 'remain a top priority' says Foreign Secretary James Cleverly [pictured].

The British mission and its diplomats are in an area of Khartoum that sits between Sudan's two warring factions, making their extraction particularly perilous.

During the day on Saturday, those who were due to be rescued had gathered themselves together.

It was thought to be around two dozen British diplomats plus family members as well as a handful of officials from other nations that Britain had offered to help.

The troops met with the evacuation party of around 30 people, including children, and prepared for the extraction.

They had to assess the situation on the ground - the scene of deadly fighting for the past week and a half - and work out if it was safe enough to bring them out without more back-up.

In tandem with this first leg of the mission, two Royal Air Force transport planes - a C-130 Hercules and an A400M Airbus - had taken off from RAF Akrotiri, a sprawling British military base in Cyprus.

The aircraft, operating in coordination with the French and US armed forces and with permission from the Sudanese military, landed on a Sudanese airfield called Wadi Seidna which is about 30km north of Khartoum, at around 1am on Sunday morning, UK time.

This was about an hour and a half after the US aircraft - carrying the initial team of elite British soldiers - had landed in Khartoum.

The potentially most hazardous stage in the UK rescue mission came next.

The elite team of British soldiers with the diplomats had to travel from their assembly point in Khartoum to the airfield - a journey of about 30km (18 miles), through multiple checkpoints.

If heavy fighting was taking place, UK defence planners had been ready to send in more aircraft and troops, with the ability to "punch through" the checkpoints and reach the diplomats.

In that event, the soldiers with them would have been tasked with protecting the diplomats from the fighting until help came, rather than driving them out.

In the event, however, a window opened of relative calm to allow the soldiers on the ground to drive their passengers to the airfield.

A unit of troops from the two aircraft, which brought in vehicles as well for the operation, also mobilised and moved towards the incoming rescue team in case needed.

It was not immediately clear if the British troops encountered any gunfire or shelling.

Once at the airfield, the diplomats and families boarded the aircraft and the two British planes took off at around 9am, UK time, and headed back to Cyprus.

It is thought the aircraft had been on the ground for about seven to eight hours.

British nationals, or those with UK passports, can tell the government if they are trapped in Sudan by using this form [ https://www.register.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/sudan-20230422/register-your-presence-in-sudan-with-fcdo ]

View original and video interview: 

https://news.sky.com/story/sudan-how-elite-team-of-british-troops-evacuated-uk-diplomats-from-warzone-capital-12864485

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Details of evacuation revealed, with more than 1,200 personnel involved

Sky News has some more details about what the evacuation of British diplomats and their families entailed:

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said on Twitter: "The operation involved more than 1,200 British personnel from 16 Air Assault Brigade, the Royal Marines and the RAF.

"I am grateful to all our partners including Cyprus. I want to pay tribute to the bravery and professionalism of our armed forces."

Here is the tweet: 

https://news.sky.com/story/sudan-latest-uk-ready-evacuate-diplomats-as-fierce-fighting-rages-12864054?postid=5815472#liveblog-body

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A convoy seen on Sunday thought to be evacuating UN staff from Sudan

IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES

Image caption, A convoy was seen on Sunday thought to be evacuating UN staff from Sudan

Source: BBC News 23 April 2023 

Sudan fighting: Diplomats and foreign nationals evacuated:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65363586.amp

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Report from Sky News LIVE

Sunday 23 April 2023 14:39 BST UK - excerpt:

Passport doesn't have an automatic right to rescue, military analyst says

Philip Ingram, former senior military intelligence and security officer, has been speaking to Sky News throughout the day about what is happening in Sudan.

We asked him about the British nationals who are still in Sudan, having not been included in the initial rescue of diplomats and their families.

He said: "It's an unfortunate reality of life that whenever you get a British passport - or you get a passport from any country around the world - it doesn't automatically have written in it '...and you will be evacuated from any situation that you find yourself in'.

"First and foremost, there's an individual responsibility and, if you go into a country that you know is unstable, you're going in for a reason.

"It's usually to make lots of money, and you're usually going in with another international organisation or large corporate organisation who have the first responsibility to get their people out if the situation is worsening.

"It's only when it gets really bad that government step in."

But for those Britons who do not fit into this category, he said: "Stay inside, register your location (with the Foreign Office) and have the confidence that the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence will be looking for specific threats against British nationals and will let you know - but in this case no news is probably good news."

Full story at Sky News LIVE:

https://news.sky.com/story/sudan-latest-uk-ready-evacuate-diplomats-as-fierce-fighting-rages-12864054?postid=5815858#liveblog-body

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*Report from What’s in Blue

Sunday 23 April 2023 

THE WEEK AHEAD at the UN SECURITY COUNCIL

24-28 April 2023 - excerpt:

On Monday (24 April), Russia will convene a ministerial-level open debate on “Effective multilateralism through the defense of the principles of the UN Charter”, under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to chair the meeting. Secretary-General António Guterres is the anticipated briefer.

On Tuesday (25 April), the Security Council will convene for its quarterly open debate on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland will brief at the meeting, which will be chaired by Lavrov.

Also on Tuesday, there will be an open briefing and closed consultations on Sudan. The UK (the penholder on the file) requested the meeting to discuss developments in the country after fighting erupted on 15 April in and around Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces. At the time of writing, the briefers for the meeting had yet to be confirmed.

Background information on many of these issues has been published in our April 2023 Monthly Forecast.

Further Council developments will be posted to What’s in Blue.

Follow us on Twitter @SCRtweets.

Source: 

https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2023/04/open-debate-effective-multilateralism-through-the-defense-of-the-principles-of-the-un-charter.php

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British diplomats evacuated from Sudan by 1,200 personnel Air Assault Brigade, Royal Marines, RAF

Breaking news from BBC News UK

By Antoinette Radford

Sunday 23 April 2023 c.13:40 - full copy

British diplomats evacuated from Sudan

British diplomats and their families have been evacuated from Sudan in a "complex and rapid" operation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed. 

Mr Sunak said work was continuing to ensure the safety of British nationals who remain in Sudan.

The evacuees were taken to an airfield outside of Khartoum to fly out of the country overnight, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC.

Fierce violence erupted last week in Khartoum between two opposing forces.

The power struggle between Sudan's regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has seen deadly shooting and shelling in the capital city.

Foreign Minister James Cleverly added that the government was working "around the clock to broker international support to end the bloodshed in Sudan." 

Mr Wallace also thanked France and the United States for their assistance in the operation in an interview with the BBC. 

He said the operation involved more than 1,200 British personnel from the Air Assault Brigade, Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force.

The UK's move follows the evacuation of US diplomats in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Fewer than 100 people were evacuated when three Chinook helicopters landed near the US embassy to collect them.

Several other countries including France, the Netherlands and Italy have also begun evacuating citizens from Sudan. 

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.

Updated versions here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65367019

Sudan almost completely disconnected from Internet

Just 2% of all Internet users in Sudan have web connectivity at present

Source: Report from Arab World Materials 

Sunday 23 April 2023 07:29 (UTC +04:00) - full copy

Sudan almost completely disconnected from the Internet

Just 2% of all Internet users in Sudan have web connectivity at present, the international Internet monitoring service NetBlocks said on Sunday, Trend reports citing TASS.

"Real-time network data show a near-total collapse of internet connectivity in Sudan with national connectivity now at 2% of ordinary levels; the incident comes as foreign diplomats are evacuated amid fighting between military and paramilitary forces," Netblocks informed.

Internet failures were reported earlier in Sudan due to armed clashes.

View original: https://en.trend.az/world/arab/3738956.html

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US embassy staff evacuated from Sudan amid fierce fighting (Sky News). RSF says US diplomats, families evacuated via coordination with US forces (Reuters)

Report from Sky News

Sunday 23 April 2023 03:07, UK - full copy:

US embassy staff evacuated from Sudan amid fierce fighting

US troops have carried out an evacuation of American embassy staff from Sudan's capital Khartoum as fighting rages for a ninth day, according to a senior White House official.

View original: https://news.sky.com/story/us-embassy-staff-evacuated-from-sudan-amid-fierce-fighting-12863980

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Reuters report also here. 

Report from Haaretz.com 

By Reuters [unverified]

Sunday 23 April 2023 03AM - full copy:

Sudan’s RSF says US diplomats, families evacuated via coordination with US forces

CAIRO, April 23 (Reuters) - Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said early on Sunday that a US forces mission consisting of six aircraft had evacuated US diplomats and their families from the country.

The operation was carried out through coordination with the RSF, it added.

(Reporting by Moaz-Alaziz and Mohamed Al Gebaly in Cairo; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

View original: https://www.msn.com/he-il/news/other/sudans-rsf-says-us-diplomats-families-evacuated-via-coordination-with-us-forces/ar-AA1acbfk 

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Report from CBS News

Story by Sophia Barkoff

Saturday 22 April 2023 8:52 PM - excerpts:

U.S. government personnel evacuated from Sudan

The details of the mission and the exact number of people evacuated was unclear. The Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) tweeted that the US military used six plained to conduct the evacuations early Sunday morning. It was unconfirmed if diplomats from other nations were included. [...]

A U.S. diplomatic convoy flying the American flag was fired upon Monday while security attempted to bring Americans back to the compound. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it a “reckless” and “irresponsible” act, and said that forces aligned with RSF  - a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - had likely taken the shots. […]

Full story: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-government-personnel-in-sudan-to-be-evacuated-sources-say/ar-AA1acfUV

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Report from Aljazeera.com

Sunday 23 April 2023 - excerpt:

US diplomats, families evacuated from war-torn Sudan, RSF says

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claims that it coordinated the evacuation with US forces on Sunday. [...]

A US official confirmed to the Associated Press that US forces safely left Sudanese airspace after airlifting the embassy personnel out of the capital, Khartoum.

Full story: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/23/sudans-rsf-says-us-diplomats-families-evacuated-from-country

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UPDATE: 

SUNDAY 23 APRIL 2023 04:15 GMT UK 

REPORT FROM THE BBC HAS UPDATED ITS REPORT TO SAY:

The US military has evacuated American diplomats and their families from Khartoum, President Joe Biden has said.

"Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum," he said in a statement.

Earlier Sudan's paramilitary army Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said six aircraft were used in Sunday's early morning mission, and that it had co-ordinated the evacuation with the US.

President Biden has not given details.

It is not clear how many people were airlifted. Mr Biden's statement said "we are temporarily suspending operations at the US embassy in Sudan".

He also thanked Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, saying they had been "critical to the success of our operation".

View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65363586

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