The US is increasing the number of troops it has deployed to East Africa as the Biden administration prepares for a potential evacuation of its embassy staff in Sudan, the Pentagon said Thursday, Reuters reports.
Defence Department spokesperson, Lt. Desert., Phil Ventura, said US Africa Command “is monitoring the situation in Sudan and conducting prudent planning for various contingencies” as violence continues to spiral in Sudan between warring Generals.
“We are deploying additional capabilities nearby in the region for contingency purposes related to securing and potentially facilitating the departure of US Embassy personnel from Sudan, if circumstances require it,” Ventura said.
At least 270 people have been killed and 2,600 others injured in armed clashes since Saturday between the Sudanese Army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) troops in the capital, Khartoum, and its surrounding areas.
The RSF accused the Army of attacking its forces in the south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, while the military claimed that the paramilitary force was “spreading lies,” and labelled it a “rebel” group.
Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government, and declared a state of emergency in what political forces called a “coup”.
READ: Potential implications of the power struggle in Sudan on Libya
Montather Rassoul