The U.S. government is ready to send a substantial number of extra troops to its military facility in Djibouti in the event that American people and diplomats need to be evacuated from Sudan.
President Joe Biden ordered the pre-positioning of armed personnel to be prepared, according to White House spokesperson John Kirby, who also indicated the commander-in-chief was carefully monitoring events.
Kirby claimed that although there are no signs that Americans are being targeted, the situation in Sudan is very hazardous.
Last weekend saw the start of a violent power struggle between two formerly associated members of Sudan’s military junta that has so far claimed more than 330 lives, including that of an American citizen, and plunged the country into what the UN has dubbed a humanitarian crisis.
At the heart of the contention are Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – also known as Hemedti -, who is the commander of the powerful Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary organization, and Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who serves as the head of the army.
In October 2021, two years after the ouster of dictator Omar al-Bashir, Mr. Dagalo teamed up with Mr. al-Burhan to stage a military coup, taking control of the country’s ruling council instead of handing it over to a civilian.
The generals agreed to a framework agreement in December 2022 in response to pressure from the international community, particularly the United States, in which they pledged to make way for a civilian administration. Both were forced to rush to establish their own positions as a result. Now that their agreement has fallen apart, there are rising concerns that the resulting violence might spark a civil war in Sudan.
