June 11
By ANNA KAUFMAN
Hundreds of Americans fleeing two weeks of deadly fighting in Sudan reached the east African nation’s port Saturday in the first U.S.-run evacuation, completing a dangerous land journey under escort of armed drones. The U.S. has been criticized by families of trapped Americans in Sudan for initially ruling out organizing any evacuation for those among an estimated 16,000 Americans in Sudan who wish to leave. U.S. special operations troops flew to the capital, Khartoum, April 22 to airlift out embassy staffers and government personnel. More than a dozen other nations have already been carrying out evacuations for their citizens.
A conflict that broke out mid-April in the country of Sudan has continued to escalate in recent weeks. The intense military clashes are creating a growing humanitarian crisis and have forced foreign nations, including the U.S., to evacuate their embassies.
The fighting is between two rival generals: Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese military, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group. Caught in between are millions of civilians who have made their support for a democratic government clear.
Sudan is a country in Northeast Africa bordering the Red Sea. With a population of about 45 million, it is one of the continent’s most populous nations and largest geographically.