South Front
A joint special forces team move together out of a U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey Feb. 26, 2018, at Melrose Training Range, New Mexico. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Clayton Cupit)
The United States military is moving additional troops and equipment to a Naval base in Djibouti to prepare for the possible evacuation of Embassy personnel from Sudan, where fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Response Forces (RSF) is intensifying.
In a statement released on April 20, the Pentagon said it will deploy “additional capabilities” to the region to potentially help facilitate an evacuation of embassy personnel from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, if required.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the decision to prepare for a possible evacuation was made by President Joe Biden. According to Kirby, the president “authorized the military to move forward with pre-positioning forces and to develop options.”
“There’s no indication that either side is deliberately going after or trying to hurt or target Americans,” Kirby said. “But it’s obviously a dangerous situation.”
Two Biden administration officials told AP that the planning got underway in earnest on April 17 after a U.S. Embassy convoy was attacked in Khartoum.
On April 21, the Department of State said that a U.S. citizen was killed in the clashes between the army and the RSF in Sudan.
“We can confirm the death of one U.S. citizen in Sudan,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We are in touch with the family and offer our deepest condolences to them on their loss.”
The clashes in Sudan stem from a disagreement over how the RSF, which is led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, should be integrated into the army, which is led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and what authority should oversee the process during transition to civilian-led rule in the country. The process was set to begin this year.
Both generals have been ruling Sudan as the president and vice-president of the so-called Sovereign Council since a coup in October 2021.
At least 413 people, including several foreign nationals, have been killed since the clashes first broke out on April 15. More than 3,555 others were wounded. A temporary ceasefire that was reportedly brokered by the U.S. collapsed a few hours after it came into effect on April 19.
U.S. influence in Sudan expanded significantly after the 2019 coup d’état which overthrew President Omar al-Bashir. Today, Washington maintains strong relations with both the army and the RSF. Yet, it appears to be doing very little to end the clashes in the country.
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