Khartoum: Early on Sunday, American embassy personnel were airlifted out of Sudan as forces loyal to rival generals fought for control of Africa's third-largest country for a ninth day despite dwindling deescalation hopes.

The conflicting parties claimed to be assisting in the coordination of the evacuation of foreign nationals, but those claims were called into question by the ongoing gunfire in the capital of Sudan.

Apparently, US troops are carrying out the perilous evacuation of US Embassy staffers, according to a senior Biden administration official. A second US official confirmed that the troops who flew the staff out of Khartoum have safely exited Sudanese airspace.

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The US rescue mission involved six aircraft, according to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group, which has been battling the Sudanese army. It also claimed to have coordinated evacuation efforts with the US.

The US, however, denied that the group assisted with the evacuation in any way.
It's possible that you've seen some claims made in the last few hours on social media that the Rapid Security Forces helped us coordinate and support this operation. That wasn't the case, according to John Bass, undersecretary of state for management. They cooperated to the point where they didn't shoot at any of our service members while the operation was going on.

The RSF, under the command of Gen. Mohammed Hamad Dagolo, stated that it is committed to the three-day cease-fire that was announced at sunset on Friday and that it is working with all diplomatic missions.

After speaking with the leaders of several nations that had requested assistance, army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan earlier declared that he would facilitate the evacuation of American, British, Chinese, and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan.

According to Anne-Claire Legendre, a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, France was planning to evacuate its embassy staff, French nationals living in Sudan, and nationals of its allies. As well as working with all parties involved, she added, France was also coordinating the operation with its allies and partners in Europe.

However, the environment on the ground continues to be tense. Movement away from the capital has proven to be extremely risky, and the majority of major airports have turned into battlefields. The two adversaries have positioned themselves and indicated they would resume combat once the declared three-day truce.

Due to the closure of Sudan's main international airport and the massive number of people seeking shelter indoors, concerns have been raised about how the mass rescues of foreign nationals would proceed. Foreign nations have struggled to repatriate their citizens as fighting between the Sudanese army and the potent paramilitary group rages in and around Khartoum, including in residential areas. Many of these citizens are trapped in their homes as food supplies are running low.

The announcement made by the Sudanese military was not confirmed by the White House. The National Security Council stated, "We have made very clear to both sides that they are responsible for ensuring the protection of civilians and noncombatants." The estimated 16,000 US citizens trapped in Sudan were not going to be evacuated, according to the US, which stated this on Friday.

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On Saturday, Saudi Arabia shared video of Saudi nationals and other foreigners being greeted with chocolate and flowers as they exited what appeared to be an evacuation ship at the Saudi port of Jeddah, announcing the successful repatriation of some of its citizens.

The rescue's exact process was not explained by the authorities, but according to Burhan, the Saudi diplomats and nationals first travelled by land to Port Sudan, the nation's major port on the Red Sea. He predicted that Jordan's diplomats would leave in a similar manner very soon. The port is 840 kilometres (520 miles) east of Khartoum in Sudan.

According to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the mission, President Joe Biden ordered American troops to evacuate embassy personnel after receiving a recommendation earlier on Saturday from his national security team with no end in sight to the fighting.

An estimated 70 Americans were thought to be affected by the evacuation order. They were being transported by US forces by air from an embassy landing area to an unidentified location.

The Pentagon announced it was relocating additional troops and equipment to a Naval base in the tiny Gulf of Aden nation of Djibouti to prepare for the effort, with the US concentrating on evacuating diplomats first.

Flights into and out of Khartoum continue to be dangerous due to the ongoing fighting, according to Burhan, who spoke to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya satellite channel on Saturday. Except for one in the city of Nyala in the southwest, he asserted that the military had retaken control of all other airports in the nation.

He stated, without going into further detail, "We share the international community's concern about foreign nationals," and pledged that Sudan would offer "necessary airports and safe passageways" for foreigners caught up in the fighting.

This week, two attempts at a cease-fire both failed very quickly. The unrest has raised worries that the chaos could spread to the country's neighbours, including Chad, Egypt, and Libya, and dealt a potentially fatal blow to hopes for the country's transition to a civilian-led democracy.

"The war has been ongoing since the beginning. Atiya Abdalla Atiya, secretary of the Sudanese Doctors' Syndicate, which keeps track of casualties, said that it hasn't stopped for even a second. 

The World Health Organisation reports that over 400 people have already died as a result of the fighting. In densely populated areas, gunfights, sniper fire, and bombardments have damaged civilian infrastructure, including numerous hospitals.

As the RSF has attempted to seize control of the compound, heavy shelling has been directed towards the international airport close to the capital. The Sudanese army has bombarded the airport with airstrikes in an apparent effort to drive out the RSF fighters, destroying at least one runway and scattering wrecked aircraft across the tarmac. Uncertainty exists regarding the airfield's full extent of damage.

The conflict has ushered in a perilous new era in Sudan's history and plunged the nation into unrest.

Burhan said to the Al-Hadath news channel, "No one can predict when and how this war will end. "I will only leave it in a coffin and am currently in the command centre."

The current outbreak of violence began after a dispute between Burhan and Dagalo over a recently concluded international deal with democracy activists intended to integrate the RSF into the military and eventually usher in civilian rule.

Following the unrest that followed the 2019 overthrow of Sudan's longtime leader, Omar Al-Bashir, the rival generals came to power. They banded together to take control in a coup that overthrew the civilian leaders two years later.

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Human rights violations by the military and RSF have a long history. The Janjaweed militias, which were held responsible for atrocities during the suppression of a rebellion in Sudan's western Darfur region in the early 2000s, gave birth to the RSF.

Many Sudanese are concerned that despite the generals' repeated assurances, as thousands of foreigners attempt to flee, the violence will only worsen.
Atiya asserted that both sides in the conflict were more concerned with protecting foreign lives than those of Sudanese citizens.