The land evacuation came six days after U.S. special operations troops briefly flew to Khartoum to airlift out American staffers at the embassy and other U.S. government personnel from the east African country
Violence has pushed the capital to almost total collapse, but neighborhood groups that emerged during the country’s long struggle for democracy are filling the void left by the state and NGOs
While the U.S. has said it won’t conduct a large-scale military evacuation for Americans still in Sudan, it is considering how Navy ships or establishing an increased State Department presence at a key Sudanese sea port or across the sea in Saudi Arabia could help get people out
French military spokesperson Col. Pierre Gaudilliere said France evacuated more than 500 civilians from 40 different nations by plane over the weekend after securing the airbase north of Khartoum Saturday
So far, a series of short cease-fires the past week have either failed outright or brought only intermittent lulls in the fighting that has raged between the forces of the country’s two top generals since April 15
It’s feared that once foreign evacuations are finished, the two rival generals who are fighting for control could escalate their battle for power
About 100 U.S. troops in three MH-47 helicopters carried out the operation. They airlifted all of roughly 70 remaining American employees from a landing zone at the embassy to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia
The prospect has vexed officials as most major airports have become battlegrounds and movement out of the capital, Khartoum, has proven intensely dangerous
Experts warn of the possible intervention of rebel forces and foreign militias in an already unstable area. Fighting continues this Saturday near the presidential palace in Khartoum despite the truce proposed by the UN
An estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens are registered with the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum as being in Sudan, where warring factions are in a violent conflict
The festivities are overshadowed in many parts of the region, like Sudan, Yemen and Indonesia by conflict and tragedy
The fighting, which began as the country attempted to transition to democracy, already has killed hundreds of people and left millions trapped in urban areas, sheltering from gunfire, explosions and looters
Airstrikes and shelling intensified on Monday in parts of the capital Khartoum and the adjoining city of Omdurman
At least five civilians were killed and 78 wounded Sunday, bringing the two-day toll to 61 dead and more than 670 wounded, said the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate.
The clashes capped months of heightened tensions between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces group
The ‘debt-for-climate swap’ option is an economic tool that allows a country’s debt to be reduced in exchange for commitments on green investments
