US Evacuates American Diplomats, Families from Sudan
U.S. special operations forces successfully evacuated American diplomats and their families from the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum early Sunday.
The operation took less than an hour, officials said.
France announced later Sunday that it is also evacuating its diplomatic personnel from Khartoum.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement late Saturday that the Khartoum embassy operations have been temporarily suspended.
Blinken said he directed the temporary closing of the embassy because of “the serious and growing security risks created by the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces,” which has caused a significant number of civilian deaths and injuries, the statement said.
President Joe Biden, in a statement of his own late Saturday, said the evacuation was complete, and he thanked the U.S. troops who carried out the mission.
“I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America’s friendship and connection with the people of Sudan,” Biden said. “I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety.”
Biden also thanked Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which he said played a critical role in “the success of our operation.”
