Key takeaways:
- The United States has successfully evacuated all personnel and their dependents from the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan.
- The evacuation was ordered by President Joe Biden and was granted by the Sudanese military.
- The White House has not yet announced when the embassy will reopen and the State Department is advising U.S. citizens in Sudan to consider departing the country.
The United States has successfully evacuated all personnel and their dependents from the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, amid ongoing fighting in the country. The State Department announced the temporary closure of the embassy on Saturday night, citing the security situation and the risk posed to personnel.
The evacuation was ordered by President Joe Biden, who expressed his gratitude for the “unmatched skill” of the service members who brought the diplomatic workers to safety. The Sudanese military agreed to guarantee evacuation requests made by the U.S., Britain, France and China.
In a statement, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said, “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.” He added that the U.S. government cannot provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Sudan due to the current security situation.
The White House has not yet announced when the embassy will reopen. In the meantime, the State Department is advising U.S. citizens in Sudan to consider departing the country. The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum is providing limited emergency services to U.S. citizens, but it is not able to provide routine services.
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