An announced emergency evacuation from Sudan was thrown into confusion on Saturday when the American Embassy there said it was too dangerous to evacuate its citizens, just hours after the country’s military chief vowed to help relocate nationals of several countries including the United States. As fighting between two clashing military factions entered its second week, the army chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is Sudan’s de facto leader, said in a statement on Saturday morning that his troops would facilitate the evacuation of diplomats and citizens from Britain, China, France and the United States “in the coming hours.”
Soon after, however, the American Embassy said in a security alert that “due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens.”
It was not immediately clear whether the United States planned an evacuation of embassy staff. Current air evacuation plans are focused on getting diplomats and their families out first.
Regarding a possible overland route from Khartoum, the capital, toward the city of Port Sudan, the embassy added: “The embassy is unable to assist convoys. Traveling in any convoy is at your own risk.”
A spokeswoman for France’s Foreign Ministry said she could not confirm the evacuation of any French diplomat or citizen. A representative from Britain’s Foreign Ministry issued a similar statement.
Poster Comment:
Don't worry, Victoria Nuland is on the phone with Hillary, all this will work out fine :(