26 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The spokesman for the United States National Security Council, John Kirby, confirmed on Wednesday the death of a second US citizen in the context of fighting between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Response Forces (RSF) in Sudan.
Kirby has expressed his condolences to the victim’s family and has stated at a press conference that Washington is “actively facilitating the departure of Americans” through Port Sudan, in the northeast of the country, CBS has reported.
“We continue to make it clear to the leaders of the Sudan Armed Forces and Rapid Response Forces that they are responsible for ensuring the protection of civilians and non-combatants, including third-country nationals and humanitarian personnel,” it added.
The State Department reported last week that there are 16,000 Americans in the country, most of them holding dual citizenship. At least 500 people have contacted the Embassy in the context of the clashes, while more than 50 have asked for help to leave Khartoum, The Hill has reported.
The Biden Administration evacuated all diplomats and their families from its Embassy in Khartoum on Sunday — some 100 people — while confirming the “temporary” suspension of operations at the legation due to the intensification of fighting.
The hostilities broke out in the context of an increase in tensions around the integration of the RSF -led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias ‘Hemedti’, who is also vice president of the Sovereign Transition Council– within the Forces Armed Forces, a key part of an agreement signed in December to form a new civilian government and reactivate the transition.
The talks process began with international mediation after the head of the Sudanese Army and president of the Sovereign Transition Council, Abdelfatá al Burhan, led a coup in October 2021 that overthrew the then unity prime minister, Abdalá Hamdok, appointed for office following civil-military contacts after the April 2019 coup that ended 30 years of Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s regime.