Governments scramble to save diplomats and Sudanese people

The U.S. military airlifted embassy officials out of Sudan on Sunday, and international governments raced to evacuate their diplomatic staff and citizens trapped in the capital. Fighting raged in Omdurman, the city across the Nile from Khartoum, despite a declared truce. U.S. special forces evacuated some 70 U.S. embassy staffers to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia. Other countries are organizing evacuations for embassy employees and nationals, as well as some citizens of allied countries. Italy has dispatched military jets to Djibouti to prepare for the evacuation of 140 Italian nationals in Sudan.

The fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces has paralyzed the country's main international airport, reducing civilian aircraft to ruins and gutting at least one runway. Overland travel across areas contested by the warring parties has been dangerous. Saudi Arabia evacuated 157 people, including 91 Saudi nationals and citizens of other countries, from Khartoum to Port Sudan. The conflict has left millions of Sudanese stranded at home without adequate electricity, food or water. On Sunday, the country experienced a "near-total collapse" of internet connection and phone lines nationwide.

Thousands of Sudanese have fled the combat in Khartoum and other hotspots, and at least 20,000 people have abandoned their homes in the western region of Darfur for neighboring Chad. The fighting has also caught civilians, including foreign diplomats, in the crossfire. The rival generals Burhan and Dagalo fell out over a deal to incorporate the RSF into the military and eventually lead to civilian rule.