WASHINGTON Apr 20 The Pentagon prepares to deploy US troops in Djibouti in the event of a possible evacuation of US Embassy staff from Sudan's capital Khartoum, the Politico newspaper writes, citing sources.
According to these data, US First Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman at a recent meeting privately reported to US lawmakers that US troops would soon be deployed to Djibouti. There, according to the publication, is the US naval base Camp Lemonnier. As Sherman made it clear, only embassy employees are planning to evacuate, while the general removal of all American citizens in Sudan is not planned.
As follows from the publication, Washington has noted a sharp deterioration in the security situation in Khartoum in recent days. For this reason, the evacuation of the embassy with the assistance of the military «appears increasingly likely.» The military airport, located in the center of Khartoum, has stopped working because it was damaged during the hostilities. At the same time, about 70 American diplomats cannot leave the Arab country on their own without putting themselves at serious risk, the sources indicate.
Since April 15, fighting has been going on in Sudan between the Rapid Reaction Forces (RRF) under the command of Mohammed Daglo and the regular army, clashes, according to the UN, have already claimed the lives of 185 people, injured 1.8 thousand. The opposing forces in Sudan are exchanging conflicting statements about military successes and control of facilities, launching a large-scale information war in the media and social networks.
Last Saturday, the Sudanese Rapid Reaction Force announced that a battalion of the Egyptian armed forces at the Meroe military air base had surrendered to them. The Egyptian Armed Forces said they are negotiating with stakeholders in Sudan to ensure the security of the Egyptian military who arrived in the neighboring country for exercises. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed that the Egyptian military arrived in the country for exercises, and not to support any of the parties. On Wednesday, the RRF said that the Egyptian soldiers who were at the Sudanese Meroe air base were being transferred to Khartoum, when a «suitable opportunity» appeared, the troops would be transferred to Egypt.
On Tuesday morning, the RRF announced the approval of a truce for 24 hours. Later, a member of the Sovereign Council of Sudan, Shams al-Din al-Qabbashi, said that the army also agreed to a truce for 24 hours, starting from 18.00 Tuesday local time (19.00 Moscow time). He stressed that the Sudanese Armed Forces will respect the truce and monitor how it is adhered to by the RRF. A Sudanese military source said that the truce is being introduced for humanitarian reasons, provided that it is respected by the RRF. On Wednesday, the parties again announced a truce for a day.