Amid the death toll in clashes between two warlords in the North African state of Sudan, the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it was prepared to partially open all airports.
According to Reuters on the 21st (local time), RSF said in a statement, “RSF confirms that it is ready to cooperate and coordinate and provide all facilities to ensure the safe departure of expatriates and contingents residing in Sudan.” said.
However, Reuters explained that it was unclear to what extent RSF controls Sudan’s airports.
Since the 15th, a power conflict has continued between General Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudan government forces, and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the RSF.
General Burhan and Commander Dagalo worked together to oust former President Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power for 30 years, in a coup in 2019.
Afterwards, he promised to transfer civil administration through elections, but General Burhan staged another coup in 2021, toppling the transitional government and taking power.
In the process of incorporating the RSF into the government forces, the two sides were divided as they could not narrow the differences over military command, and on the 15th, armed conflict broke out in Khartoum and the outer city of Omdurman. The situation has spread throughout Sudan, including Darfur in the west and the eastern border region.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 413 people have died and 3,551 have been injured in armed conflicts across Sudan so far.
On this day, the two warlords agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire to celebrate Eid al-Fitr (Islamic holiday) marking the end of Ramadan, but the conflict continues even after the start of the ceasefire.
The two sides agreed on a temporary ceasefire for 24 hours on the 16th (3 hours), 18th and 19th, respectively, but there was no precedent for the agreement to be kept as promised.
Countries are conducting emergency rescue operations, such as dispatching transport planes, to rescue their citizens staying in Sudan while taking advantage of the ceasefire.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, an Air Force C-130J transport plane carrying about 50 people, including military special warfare command, air force process control personnel, pilots, mechanics, bodyguards, and medical personnel, took off from Gimhae International Airport in Busan at around 4:53 pm on the 21st.
According to the Pentagon, Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed the safety of Americans in Sudan over the phone with General Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the government forces.
“We have deployed some units in the area to give us as many options as possible if something needs to be done,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein, Germany. “Nothing has been decided yet,” he said.
Two U.S. officials told Reuters that a decision to withdraw the U.S. embassy from Sudan was expected soon.
White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said that no decision has been made on whether to withdraw American diplomats from Sudan.
“We are focused on the situation we are in right now,” Kirby said. “We are trying to integrate all government personnel into the US Embassy and ensure safety,” he said, “but all Americans living in Sudan must prepare themselves for safety.”
He said that tensions in the capital, Khartoum, were still high. However, no evacuation plan has been decided yet.”
The United Nations is also working to evacuate its staff in Sudan. According to the United Nations, there are about 4,000 employees in Sudan, 800 of whom are not Sudanese nationals. An unnamed UN source also said there are 6,000 more people in Sudan who are related to the families of UN staff.
Switzerland also said it was considering evacuating its citizens from Sudan, while Sweden said it would evacuate its embassy staff and their families as quickly as possible.
Spain is reportedly preparing to evacuate 60 of its citizens from Khartoum, Sudan, by military aircraft.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.