US forces conducted an evacuation of government personnel from the US Embassy in Sudan on Saturday, President Joe Biden confirmed in a statement issued this evening.

The extraction operation was carried out by the US military at the embassy located in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. The city has been affected by the armed conflict between the army and a paramilitary group, which has led to the need to evacuate the embassy staff.

“Today, under my command, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum. I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of the embassy staff, who exercised their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America’s friendship and connection with the people of Sudan,” said the President of the United States.

“I am grateful for the unparalleled skill of our service members that brought them to safety. And I thank Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, who were critical to the success of our operation.”

The White House has announced that it currently has no government-coordinated evacuation plan for US citizens stranded in Sudan amid the escalating civil war in Africa’s third-largest country. An estimated 16,000 private citizens of the United States are registered at the US Embassy in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

The deteriorating situation in the country has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of US citizens in Sudan, but the US government has not announced any immediate evacuation plans.

According to Under Secretary of State for Management John Bass, despite the evacuation of government personnel from the US Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, a significant number of local personnel are still in the city to support the embassy. The decision to suspend operations at the embassy was taken on Saturday due to prevailing security risks. US officials have told reporters that the evacuation operation involved fewer than 100 people.

“We didn’t receive any small arms fire at the entrance and were able to get in and out with no problems,” said Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of operations for the Army’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The US military reported that its forces spent only an hour on the ground in Sudan before successfully exiting without encountering any fire from the warring factions. President Biden stated that he is receiving regular updates from his team on ongoing efforts to assist Americans in Sudan to the best of their ability, while coordinating with allies and partners in this effort.

Sudan’s military announced on Saturday that other nations including the UK, France and China would also evacuate their diplomats and nationals from Sudan due to the armed conflict between warring factions that has so far claimed hundreds of lives.

“This tragic violence in Sudan has already claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians,” Biden said. “It is unacceptable and must stop.

“The warring parties must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unimpeded humanitarian access and respect the will of the people of Sudan.”

The US State Department confirmed on Thursday that an American citizen has died amid the ongoing conflict in Sudan. In response, the Pentagon announced that it was repositioning troops in preparation for a possible embassy evacuation. The fighting, which began on April 15, is now in its second week, further derailing plans to restore civilian rule in Sudan after the ouster of former autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising four years ago.

As the violence continues, the World Health Organization reported on Friday that the death toll has reached 413, with 3,551 injured since the outbreak of hostilities. Among the victims are at least five aid workers in a country that relies heavily on food aid to sustain its population. The sudden collapse of the war in Sudan has been a major setback to efforts towards stability and civilian governance in the country.

Simon Ateba, chief White House correspondent for Today News Africa, reported that there may be thousands of Americans stranded in Sudan.

DEVELOPING: Americans stranded in Sudan with no evacuation plan from @JoeBiden . There are 16,000 Americans registered in Sudan, many others are not registered. People contacting me to tell me that their relatives, colleagues and pastors are stuck in Sudan. Saudi Arabia and others have… pic.twitter.com/CQwZxkuqmx

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 23, 2023

“Americans stuck in Sudan with no evacuation plan from Joe Biden,” he reported on Twitter. “There are 16,000 Americans registered in Sudan, many more are not registered. People contacting me to say their family members, colleagues and pastors are stuck in Sudan. Saudi Arabia and others have evacuated the its citizens while the US has only evacuated government personnel.”

“With the US embassy closed and government personnel evacuated, it is difficult to coordinate the evacuation of other Americans stranded in Sudan,” he added. “Many family members were concerned that another US embassy was closing.”

The State Department revealed that up to 14,000 Americans were left behind after President Joe Biden ordered a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Millions of dollars in US military equipment were abandoned and passed in the possession of the Taliban.

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