Khartoum (BLAZETRENDS).- The Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (FAR) assured today that they have coordinated with the US forces to evacuate their diplomats and relatives, although Washington has denied this point.
“The Rapid Support Forces Command has coordinated with the US Forces Mission, made up of 6 aircraft, to evacuate the diplomats and their families on Sunday morning,” the FAR said in a statement. .
They also indicated that they have “supervised all the necessary preparations that preceded the evacuation process, in addition to affirming their full cooperation with all diplomatic missions and providing all necessary means of protection, and guaranteeing their safe return to their countries.”
They concluded the statement by saying that they renew their “ceasefire commitment during the declared truce” that began on Friday and for three days, although the pause has not been respected by either side of the conflict, which began on the 15th.
However, State Department Undersecretary for Management John Bass noted in a call with reporters that the FAR “cooperated to the extent that they did not shoot our service members in the course of it.”
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, pointed out last Tuesday that a US diplomatic convoy was attacked the day before in Sudan, without its members being injured, by the FAR.
US President Joe Biden has announced that, under his orders, the United States has proceeded to evacuate its government personnel from Khartoum this Saturday, which would be the first country to have evacuated by air, and has temporarily suspended operations of its embassy in Sudan.
The president said in a statement released by the White House that Ethiopia, Djibouti and Saudi Arabia were “decisive” for this exit to be successful.
Less than 100 people evacuated
In all, fewer than 100 people were evacuated, and some 100 members of the US forces participated in the evacuation.
Yesterday, Saudi Arabia was the first country to begin its repatriation operations, which it carried out by boat from Port Sudan, in the east of the African country, transferring citizens of different nationalities on five shipping companies.
The fighting that began on April 15 between the Sudanese Army and the FAR arose after weeks of tension over the reform of the security forces in the negotiations to form a new transitional government.
Both forces were the architects of the joint coup that overthrew the transitional government of Sudan in October 2021.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, according to the count offered this Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 413 people have died and 3,551 have been injured in Sudan.
France evacuates its citizens and diplomatic staff from Sudan
France began this Sunday the evacuation of its citizens and its diplomatic personnel in Sudan, where clashes between the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces and the regular Army have plunged the country into chaos.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated in a statement that it is a “rapid evacuation operation” agreed with the parties to the conflict and with the rest of the European partners and allies.
“The operation includes the citizens of those states and European diplomatic personnel,” he added.
