As Sudan sees a bloody onslaught of urban warfare, the United States has temporarily suspended operations at its embassy in the African country, American President Joe Biden announced on Sunday.
However, the suspension of operation is temporary as Biden said that the US would continue its commitment to the Sudanese people.
The fighting between the regular army of Sudan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under struggle for primacy entered a second week following a brief lull, with reportedly hundreds dead and thousands wounded, while survivors cope with shortages of electricity and food.
Taking to Twitter, the US president termed the "unconscionable" and called for its end.
"This tragic violence in Sudan has already cost the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians. It’s unconscionable and it must stop. We're temporarily suspending operations at the US Embassy in Sudan, but our commitment to the Sudanese people and the future they want is unending," Biden wrote on Twitter.
The American leader said that US government personnel had been evacuated from Khartoum, the hotspot of the Sudanese conflict, as per his orders.
He further stated that he was closely following the ongoing work for the assistance of Americans present in the war-torn country and US' allies and partners were a part of the efforts.
In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he ordered the evacuation of staff and their families due to the "serious and growing security risks" amid fighting that has already left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
"We remind both belligerents of their obligations under international humanitarian law, including obligations related to the protection of civilians," Blinken said, reiterating earlier calls to "extend and expand" a ceasefire agreement over the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
The fighting between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan´s forces and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo´s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began April 15 over a dispute on the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army.
The move was a key condition for a deal aimed at restoring Sudans democratic transition after the military toppled former leader Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 following mass citizen protests.
The two men had joined forces to oust a civilian government installed after Bashir´s downfall, before turning on each other.
The RSF, the heavily armed paramilitary group currently challenging the authority of the regular army in the capital and elsewhere, tweeted hours earlier that it had "coordinated with the USForces Mission consisting of 6 aircraft, for evacuating diplomats and their families on Sunday morning".
Foreign countries have said they are preparing for the potential evacuation of thousands more of their nationals, even though Sudan´s main airport remains closed.
More than 150 people from various nations had already reached the safety of Saudi Arabia a day earlier, in the first announced evacuation of civilians.
The urban warfare began on April 15 between forces loyal to Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and those of his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Additional input from AFP.
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