1 American Killed In Sudan As US Prepares Troops For Possible Embassy Evacuation Amid Heavy Fighting

Washington – An American citizen has died in Sudan in the middle intense fight between two rival generalsthe State Department said on Thursday, as the US redeploys troops to 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 contact with the family and offer our deepest condolences for their loss.”

The State Department declined to provide further details about the death, citing respect for the person’s family.

Despite a ceasefire meant to end the bloodshed, hundreds of people have been killed in Sudan, as fighting continues between forces controlled by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who heads the Sudanese Armed Forces, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who heads the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. A marked American diplomatic convoy it was under fire earlier this week, although no one was injured.

The Pentagon “is moving forward to position some military forces and capabilities nearby just for contingency purposes should they be needed for any type of evacuation,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed Thursday during the round White House press release.

A view of the area where a fire broke out after a house was hit during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 20, 2023.

Omer Erdem/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Kirby said President Biden had authorized the move in recent days, but stressed that no decision has been made on the evacuation of American personnel.

“We want to make sure we have the capacity ready in case it’s needed,” Kirby said. A US official said the Pentagon has moved special operations forces to Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa.

In a statement earlier in the day, the Defense Department said US Africa Command is monitoring the situation and “conducting prudent planning for various contingencies.”

“As part of this, we are deploying additional capabilities near the region for contingency purposes related to securing and potentially facilitating the exit of US Embassy personnel from Sudan, if circumstances warrant,” said the communicated

Americans in the country have been urged to shelter in place. Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Thursday that it is “not safe to conduct a US government-coordinated evacuation of private US citizens at this time.”

Patel also said that all U.S. personnel are accounted for and that he is not currently aware of any specific threats against embassy personnel or U.S. citizens in the country.

Senior US officials are in direct contact with the leadership of both sides and are pushing for an immediate ceasefire, a Homeland Security spokesman said.

Eleanor Watson, David Martin, Haley Ott, Olivia Gazis and Willie Inman contributed to this report.