Sudan Fighting Hastens Evacuations of Diplomats, Citizens

A convoy leaving Khartoum advances on a road towards Port Sudan, on April 23, 2023, as people flee the battle-torn Sudanese capital. (Photo by Abubakarr JALLOH / AFP)
A convoy leaving Khartoum advances on a road towards Port Sudan, on April 23, 2023, as people flee the battle-torn Sudanese capital. (Photo by Abubakarr JALLOH / AFP)
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Sudan Fighting Hastens Evacuations of Diplomats, Citizens

A convoy leaving Khartoum advances on a road towards Port Sudan, on April 23, 2023, as people flee the battle-torn Sudanese capital. (Photo by Abubakarr JALLOH / AFP)
A convoy leaving Khartoum advances on a road towards Port Sudan, on April 23, 2023, as people flee the battle-torn Sudanese capital. (Photo by Abubakarr JALLOH / AFP)

Foreign governments evacuated diplomats, staff and others trapped in Sudan on Sunday as rival generals battled for a ninth day.

Fighting raged in Omdurman, a city across the Nile from Khartoum, residents said, despite a hoped-for cease-fire to coincide with the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

More than 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed and more than 3,700 have been wounded in the fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

In Sunday's fighting, a senior military official said army and police repelled an RSF attack on Kober Prison in Khartoum where Sudan’s longtime ruler, Omar al-Bashir, and former officials in his movement have been imprisoned since his ouster in 2019. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said a number of prisoners fled but al-Bashir and other high-profile inmates were still held in a “highly secure” area. The official said “a few prisoners” were killed or wounded.

The RSF claimed later Sunday that the military removed al-Bashir and other prisoners from the facility, although the statement could not be independently confirmed.

The ongoing violence has paralyzed the main international airport, destroying civilian planes and damaging at least one runway. Other airports also have been knocked out of operation.

After a week of bloody battles that hindered rescues, US special forces swiftly evacuated 70 US Embassy staffers from Khartoum to Ethiopia early Sunday. Although American officials said it was too dangerous for a government-coordinated evacuation of private citizens, other countries scrambled to remove citizens and diplomats.

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted that UK armed forces evacuated British diplomatic staff and their families "amid a significant escalation in violence and threats.” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said over 1,200 military personnel were involved.

France, Greece, Jordan and other nations also organized flights. The Netherlands sent two Hercules C-130 planes and an Airbus A330 to Jordan for 152 Dutch citizens who made their way from Sudan to an undisclosed evacuation point, but “not without risks," said Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren. Italy, seeking to extract 140 of its nationals, sent military jets to Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden, said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Ankara began operations at dawn on Sunday, taking some of its estimated 600 nationals by road from two Khartoum districts and the southern city of Wad Madani.

But plans were postponed from one site in Khartoum after "explosions" near a mosque designated as the assembly area, the embassy said.

Overland travel through contested areas has proven dangerous. Khartoum is about 840 kilometers (520 miles) from Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it evacuated 157 people, including 91 Saudi nationals and citizens of other countries.

Thousands of Sudanese have fled Khartoum and other hot spots, according to UN agencies, but millions are sheltering in their homes from explosions, gunfire and looting without adequate electricity, food or water.

The power struggle between the Sudanese military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the RSF, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has dealt a harsh blow to Sudan's hopes for a democratic transition. The rival generals came to power after a pro-democracy uprising led to the ouster of the former strongman, al-Bashir. In 2021, the generals joined forces to seize power in a coup.

The current violence came after Burhan and Dagalo fell out over a recent internationally brokered deal with democracy activists that was meant to incorporate the RSF into the military and eventually lead to civilian rule.



Hamdok: Sudan Faces Its Greatest Crisis in History

Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Reuters)
Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Reuters)
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Hamdok: Sudan Faces Its Greatest Crisis in History

Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Reuters)
Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Reuters)

Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, now leading the civilian Sudanese Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Tagadum) alliance, said reaching a ceasefire, addressing the humanitarian crisis, and protecting civilians are the first steps toward a political resolution to end the war in his country.

During a recent visit to the UK, Hamdok described Sudan as facing its worst crisis in history, with its very existence at stake.

“We might wake up tomorrow and not recognize Sudan,” he cautioned, urging the need to protect the country from destructive forces that have dominated it for 30 years, harming its institutions and resources.

At a seminar organized by Tagadum in London, Hamdok highlighted the choice before the Sudanese people: “We can either choose peace, democracy, and freedom, or we can continue down the path of war and destruction.”

“The decision is clear. War achieves nothing and cannot control the country’s future,” he affirmed.

“Our greatest achievements happen when we unite. We came together for independence and revolutions in the past, and the Dec. 2018 revolution is a continuation of that legacy. It is a movement that will not be defeated,” reminded Hamdok.

He emphasized that their motivation is to honor the martyrs by building a democratic nation that all Sudanese can be proud of.

“This terrible war has caused great division, with people dying over identity and regional differences,” said Hamdok.

He called for unity against war and said: “Within Tagadum, we are forming a broad coalition of Sudanese from all backgrounds. Our diversity is a blessing, not a curse. We need to come together to create the largest front against war, setting aside our differences to defeat evil and corruption.”

Hamdok also spoke at Chatham House, a prominent UK research institution, highlighting the need for a strong monitoring system in Sudan.

He suggested considering a no-fly zone to establish safe areas and discussed the potential deployment of ground forces to protect civilians.

He urged addressing the refugee situation in neighboring countries and called on the international community to fulfill its commitments.

Regarding ceasefire efforts, he noted that they should be integrated into the political process and backed by existing agreements, with effective monitoring using technology and satellites.