WASHINGTON — An American national has died in Sudan in intense fighting between two rival generals, the State Department said Thursday, as the US repositions troops in the region ahead of a possible evacuation of the US embassy in Khartoum.
“We can confirm the death of a US citizen in Sudan,” a State Department spokesman said. “We are in touch with the family and offer them our deepest condolences on their loss.”
The State Department declined to provide further details about the death, citing respect for the person’s family.
Click here to view related media.
Click to expand
Hundreds of people have been killed in Sudan despite a ceasefire to end the bloodshed as fighting continues between forces controlled by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese armed forces, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo heads the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. A tagged US diplomatic convoy came under fire earlier this week, although no one was injured.
The Pentagon “is going ahead to pre-position some military forces and capabilities in the vicinity just in case they are needed for any type of evacuation,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed Thursday during the news briefing in the white house.
A view of the area as a fire broke out after a house was hit during clashes between Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum, Sudan on April 20, 2023. Omer Erdem/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Kirby said President Biden had approved the move in recent days but stressed that no decision had yet been made on whether to evacuate US personnel.
“We want to make sure we have the capability ready if it’s needed,” Kirby said. A US official said the Pentagon had deployed special forces to Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa.
In a statement earlier in the day, the Department of Defense said US Africa Command is monitoring the situation and “conducting prudent planning for various contingencies.”
“As part of this, we are deploying additional capacity nearby in the region for emergency purposes related to securing and potentially facilitating the departure of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan if circumstances warrant,” the statement said.
Americans in the country have been urged to seek shelter on the ground. Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Thursday it was “not safe at this time to conduct a US government-coordinated evacuation of private US citizens.”
Patel also said that all US employees are held accountable and he is not currently aware of any specific threats against embassy staff or US citizens in the country.
Senior US officials are in direct contact with leaders on both sides and are urging an immediate ceasefire, a national security spokesman said.
Eleanor Watson, David Martin, Haley Ott, Olivia Gazis, and Willie Inman contributed to this report.
Trending News
Caitlin Yilek