All US embassy staff evacuated from Sudan - White house

AFP

The US military evacuated American government personnel from Khartoum, President Joe Biden said on Saturday, adding that Washington is suspending operations at its embassy there as fighting between Sudan's rival commanders continued.

"This tragic violence in Sudan has already cost the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians," Biden said in a statement. "It's unconscionable and it must stop."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that "all US personnel and their dependents" have been safely evacuated and that the US will continue to assist Americans in Sudan in planning for their own safety.

All US government personnel and a small number of diplomatic personnel from other countries were evacuated in the operation, which removed fewer than 100 people, US officials said.

Just over 100 US special operations forces were involved in the evacuation, entering and exiting Sudan without being fired upon by the warring factions on the ground, US military officials said.

Other foreign nationals began evacuating from a Red Sea port in Sudan on Saturday. Japan's TBS news reported that the United Nations staff members including Japanese nationals and their families would be evacuated from Sudan as early as Sunday.

The bloody onslaught of urban warfare has trapped large numbers in the Sudanese capital, disabling the airport and rendering some roads impassable.

The UN and foreign states have urged rival military leaders to honour declared ceasefires that have mostly been ignored, and to open safe passage for fleeing civilians and the supply of badly needed aid.

With the airport closed and skies unsafe, thousands of foreigners - including embassy staff, aid workers and students in Khartoum and elsewhere in Africa's third largest country - have also been unable to get out.

Saudi Arabia has evacuated Gulf citizens from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, 650 km (400 miles) from Khartoum. Jordan will use the same route for its nationals.

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