Yesterday, U.S. government sources said that just under 100 Americans working at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, were evacuated by U.S. forces.
The order to leave the troubled country with the mission came from President Joe Biden. In a phone press conference, State Department officials said that a small number of diplomats from allies were also taken out of the country.
The Defense Department sent troops and equipment to Djibouti in case the mission in Khartoum had to be evacuated, said Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II, who is in charge of operations for the Joint Staff. “Yesterday, the U.S. military helped the State Department close down operations at the Embassy in Khartoum by evacuating those people,” Sims said.
“Yesterday at 9 a.m. Eastern time, a group of U.S. troops left Djibouti and flew to Ethiopia. Three MH-47 Chinooks were among the planes that refueled in Ethiopia before flying about three hours to Khartoum.”
“I’m proud of how hard our embassy staff worked,” President Joe Biden
Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract U.S. Government personnel from Khartoum in response to the situation in Sudan.
I am grateful for the commitment of our Embassy staff and the skill of our service members who brought them to safety.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 23, 2023
“The evacuation was done all at once with a rotary-wing plane,” Sims said next. “The operation was quick and clean, and the service members were only on the ground in Khartoum for less than an hour. As we talk, the people who had to leave are safe and sound.”
Security Alert: On April 22, 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations, and the Department of State ordered the departure of U.S. direct hire employees and their dependents due to the continued threat from armed conflict in Sudan. The U.S. government cannot…
— U.S. Embassy Khartoum (@USEmbassyKRT) April 23, 2023
Sims said that just over 100 people working in special operations were in charge of the operation. The guards at the U.S. Marine Embassy were also sent home.
Biden said in a written statement, “I am proud of the extraordinary dedication of our embassy staff. They did their jobs with courage and professionalism and showed the people of Sudan America’s friendship and connection.” “I’m thankful that our service members were so skilled that they were able to get them to safety.”
Biden also thanked the governments of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia for helping with the U.S. evacuation mission.
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There Are Still People From the U.S. Living in Sudan
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said that U.S. Africa Command was in charge of the removal and that it was done closely with the U.S. State Department. He said, “I’m proud of our great service members who carried out and helped with this operation with great precision and professionalism.”
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Warfare Christopher Maier praised the Marines who have been protecting and defending the mission for the past week. “Many of our embassies overseas are protected by our Marines, but they don’t get the credit they deserve,” he said. “Their bravery under pressure shows once again that America is at its best in this situation.”
There are still people from the U.S. living in Sudan. “We will keep working with the State Department in the coming days to help American citizens who might want to leave Sudan,” Maier said. “One of these ways is to try to make it more likely that people can leave Sudan by land.”
So, the DOD is now thinking about what to do, which could include using intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tools to watch routes and find threats.
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