This comes at a time when the Sudanese army announced, on Saturday, “the agreement to provide the necessary assistance to secure the evacuation of nationals of a number of countries and their diplomatic missions from the country,” following the ongoing clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, which left 413 people dead, including at least 5 aid workers. , as well as injuring 3,551 others.
Gharit referred to Washington’s position on the evacuation plan in a number of points, including:
- This continued reckless fighting between the two sides threatens the security and safety of Sudanese civilians and diplomats, including US personnel and humanitarian aid workers, and must stop immediately because no one will benefit from this violence and it is not in the interest of Sudan or the region.
- US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken communicated with Generals Al-Burhan and Hamidti and urged the two sides to abide by the ceasefire, and welcomed the announcement of a commitment to a three-day ceasefire during the Eid Al-Fitr period.
- Everyone’s priority must be to end the suffering of civilians, so Secretary Blinken renewed his call for both sides to stop the fighting. There is no military solution to the political crisis in Sudan.
- For US citizens, the US State Department has updated travel guidance for Sudan.
- US citizens are strongly urged to remain indoors and shelter in a safe place until further notice, and we are in contact with the US Embassy in Khartoum to ensure the security of our staff and any other US citizens.
- We are consulting very closely with other regional and international partners on the situation in Sudan, and we call on all parties involved to abandon violence, return to negotiations and take effective steps to reduce tensions and ensure the safety of all civilians, UN staff, international bodies, other diplomatic personnel and humanitarian aid workers.
Sanctions position
Foreign Policy magazine quoted US officials as saying that the US administration is studying plans to impose new sanctions on the conflicting military forces in Sudan.
The sanctions package, which is still being drafted, aims to target leaders in the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which have plunged Khartoum into a state of fighting.
Commenting on the position of those sanctions, the US State Department spokeswoman said in her statements to Sky News Arabia, “Our priority today is a permanent ceasefire and the cessation of fighting.”
And she added, “Yes, we have different tools, but most of all, to stop this violence now, a lasting truce must be reached, and we are focusing on this point.”
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