The U.S. military has successfully completed the evacuation of the American embassy in war-torn Sudan, President Joe Biden said late Saturday evening.
Biden confirmed the evacuation of U.S. government personnel from Khartoum under his orders and that the administration would continue to assist Americans in Sudan.
“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. I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety. And I thank Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which were critical to the success of our operation,” he said in a statement.
Plumes of smoke rises over the city of Khartoum, as conflict between the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army continues, as filmed from Omdurman, Sudan, April 21, 2023, in this screengrab obtained from a video by Reuters.
Obtained By Reuters
Biden also also said the embassy has been temporarily closed but that “our commitment to the Sudanese people and the future they want for themselves is unending.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the suspensions of operations at the embassy in Khartoum was due to the growing security risk and ensuring the safety of personnel.
“The widespread fighting has caused significant numbers of civilian deaths and injuries and damage to essential infrastructure and posed an unacceptable risk to our Embassy personnel. I applaud the skill and professionalism of our team on the ground, U.S. military forces, and others across the government who carried out this evacuation mission,” Blinken said in a statement.
Concurrent with the statement from Blinken, the State Department updated its travel advisory for Sudan to reflect that the U.S. embassy in Khartoum had suspended operations. The department’s advisory for Sudan remains at its highest warning level—where it has been since August of 2021.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted the successful evacuation operation was conducted at Biden’s direction. He also highlighted the countries that assisted the operation.
“We also thank our allies and partners, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which were critical to the success of this operation,” Austin s
