American military forces rescued a number of diplomats and their families in Sudan this week. The African nation has been rocked by conflict since a coup attempt against the country’s government started earlier this month.
The United States was successfully able to evacuate a number of diplomats from the war-torn country.
Three American helicopters entered the country before leaving Sudan. The Pentagon is reporting that there was no exchange of gunfire as the U.S. special forces were able to evacuate approximately 100 Americans.
The Pentagon announced that it is moving ships from the 5th Fleet from Bahrain to the Red Sea off the coast of Port Sudan. There are reports that Western nationals are attempting to flee to the city for evacuation.
The Pentagon has stated that they may utilize Surveillance Drones and Aircraft, as well as Naval Ships off the Coast of Port Sudan to assist American Citizens with leaving “War-Torn” Sudan however there will not be a Government/Military-Led Evacuation like we saw in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/LdAbt1oo1D
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 23, 2023
The United States was not the only nation to evacuate its citizens from the country. Nations such as France, Spain, and Sweden have been carrying out similar evacuations.
It is estimated that about 18,000 American citizens were in the country when the conflict erupted. Current estimates believe about 16,000 Americans are still in the country.
Sudan has long been in turmoil, especially over the last several decades. The country harbored Osama bin Laden before he was accepted by the Taliban government. Sudan’s support for al Qaeda led American airstrikes in the country in 1998.
The Sudanese government was also responsible for the Darfur genocide in the 2000s. The organized killings targeted a number of groups in the southern part of the country, including Christians.
The former borders of Sudan split in 2011, with the country becoming two separate states: Sudan and South Sudan. Rebels in South Sudan fought a bitter struggle for independence for more than 20 years.
Significant protests emerged in 2018 against the country’s longtime President Omar al-Bashir over a spike in prices. He was overthrown in 2019, followed by a military coup in 2021.
In recent years, Sudan has become friendlier with Western nations, including recognizing Israel in 2020. The effort was part of the Abraham Accords, an effort by former President Donald Trump to foster peace in the Middle East.
