The US State Department said Friday that ongoing fighting between military factions in Sudan made it too risky to try to evacuate embassy personnel from Khartoum.
The Pentagon has mobilized in the East Africa region to bring out US staff from the Sudan capital.
However, “due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and the closure of the airport, it’s currently not safe to undertake a US government coordinated evac,” said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
“We have made very clear to both sides that any attacks, threats, or dangers posed to our diplomats are totally unacceptable,” Patel said.
The State Department has sought to gather US staff in one location in the Sudan capital to better protect them from the fighting outside and prepare for an evacuation.
On Thursday the Pentagon said it was mustering forces in the region to support an evacuation, presumably to be directed from the US base in Djibouti, more than 700 miles (1,126 kilometers) to the southeast of Khartoum.
“We are deploying additional capabilities nearby in the region for contingency purposes related to securing and potentially facilitating the departure of US Embassy personnel from Sudan,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
More than 400 people have been killed after violence erupted Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
