Sudan’s sudden slide into conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has left thousands of foreigners stranded, including diplomats and aid workers. Countries from around the world are seeking to evacuate their citizens, and many evacuation efforts are taking place by air and through Sudanese sea ports on the Red Sea. In this regard, Jordanian media reported today that four planes of the Royal Jordanian Air Force took off from Marka Military Airport, heading to Sudan, to evacuate 260 members of the Jordanian community, in coordination with the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs. On the other hand, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed, in a statement today, that the US army succeeded in evacuating the US embassy staff from Sudan. Austin said: "The U.S. military conducted a successful operation to safely evacuate U.S. government personnel from Sudan. This action, led by U.S. Africa Command, and carried out in close coordination with the U.S. Department of State, demonstrates the Department of Defense’s support for diplomatic personnel in our country.". added: "I am proud of the distinguished service personnel who carried out and supported this operation with utmost precision and professionalism. We thank our allies and partners, including Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, who played a critical role in the success of this operation.". Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, had confirmed that the United States "Temporarily suspended" Operations at its embassy in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and safely evacuated all American personnel and their families under its security responsibility. In turn, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said today: The British armed forces evacuated diplomatic staff and their families from Sudan, in an operation he described as a "Complicated". Sunak wrote on his Twitter account: "We continue to endeavor by all means to stop the bloodshed in the Sudan, and to ensure the safety of the remaining Britons there"He pointed out that there is a serious escalation of violence in Sudan. British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said: His country’s forces carried out the rescue operation alongside the United States, France and other unnamed allies, pointing out that more than 1,200 military personnel participated in arranging and implementing the rescue operation. And the French Ministry of Defense announced the withdrawal of all its embassy staff outside Sudan, noting that it was also taking place "Rapid evacuation of diplomatic staff and French nationals"And that the process will include diplomats from other European Union countries.
In a related context, the South Korean Ministry of Defense said: "A military transport plane has arrived at a US base in nearby Djibouti to evacuate South Korean citizens from Sudan". The total number of South Koreans in Sudan is estimated at 29, while sources said: The South Korean government is also considering evacuating its embassy in Sudan. On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had sent a separate team of 8 employees, including four employees from its embassy in Ethiopia, to Djibouti to operate a special task force, and to work with the army to ensure the safety of South Korean citizens in Sudan. Andrei Chernovol, the Russian ambassador to Khartoum, told Russian media: "140 of the 300 Russian citizens in Sudan have declared that they want to leave.. and that the list of those wishing to expand is the requests of citizens of the CIS countries, and other countries". Chernovol added it "Evacuation plans are being developed, but it is difficult to implement them so far because any exit from the embassy is linked to crossing the line of contact, and even with guarantees from both sides, this is a very risky step.". Rome is also working to evacuate its nationals in Sudan, as Maria Tribodi, Undersecretary of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that "The government is developing a plan to recover and ensure the safety of our citizens who are currently in Sudan". Tripodi explained that the crisis unit in the Italian Foreign Ministry sent a message to its citizens in Khartoum, which was published by Italian media, confirming that it is working with the aim of finding "A good opportunity to leave Khartoum, it may be today (Sunday)". For her part, Hajja Lahbib, the Belgian Foreign Minister, said in a tweet on Twitter that her country is working with France and the Netherlands to evacuate Belgian nationals and other qualified persons from Sudan, amid the ongoing fighting. She added that many operations are taking place in Sudan to evacuate European citizens "as soon as possible". The minister added that she had informed the Belgians and other qualified persons in Sudan, who had not done so, to contact their diplomatic missions as soon as possible. For his part, Wupke Hoekstra, the Dutch Foreign Minister, said: "His country is currently transferring its nationals from Sudan, and there is a process being undertaken by various countries to evacuate their citizens from Sudan". added: "The Netherlands is also involved in this matter with a team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense of Jordan, and they will do their best to transport the Dutch as quickly and safely as possible.". While the evacuation of diplomats and nationals is a pressing issue for foreign countries, the operations raise concerns about the fate of the Sudanese, who have been caught in the crossfire of the army and the Rapid Support Forces for more than a week. The ongoing battles since April 15 have caused more than 413 deaths and 3,551 injuries, and have prompted tens of thousands to flee from the areas of clashes towards other states in the country, according to what was announced by United Nations humanitarian organizations.
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