US troops have begun evacuating embassy staff as Sweden plans to send its own forces to support evacuation. Meanwhile, the pope has called for an end to the violence.
US troops evacuated US Embassy personnel from Sudan on Sunday, more than a week after fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary.
"Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US Government personnel from Khartoum," President Joe Biden said.
He thanked authorities in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia for their assistance in the evacuation mission.
Earlier, the RSF claimed it had "coordinated with the US Forces Mission consisting of six aircraft, for evacuating diplomats and their families on Sunday morning."
The operation evacuated fewer than 100 people, US officials told reporters.
About 100 US troops in three MH-47 helicopters carried out the operation.
Meanwhile, France and Netherlands have started evacuating their citizens, according to their foreign ministries.
Here are the key headlines around the Sudan crisis for Sunday, April 23:
UK has 'completed' evacuation, Rishi Sunak says
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday afternoon that British diplomats have all been evacuated from Sudan.
"UK armed forces have completed a complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan, amid a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff," he wrote on Twitter.
"We are continuing to pursue every avenue to end the bloodshed in Sudan and ensure the safety of British nationals remaining in the country" he added.
Sunak also called for both sides "to lay down their arms and implement an immediate humanitarian ceasefire."
Belgium coordinating with Netherlands and France to evacuate citizens
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said on Twitter that her country was conducting operations in cooperation with France and the Netherlands to evacuate European nationals "as quickly as possible."
Lahbib also called on people in Sudan who have not yet contacted their diplomatic services to do so quickly. "All our services are mobilized to help them," she said.
Pope calls for 'dialogue' in Sudan
The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has called for the violence in Sudan to stop during his Sunday prayers in Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican City.
"Unfortunately the situation remains grave in Sudan," the pope said.
"That is why I am renewing my call for the violence to stop as quickly as possible and for dialogue to resume," he continued.
"I invite everyone to pray for our Sudanese brothers and sisters," Pope Francis said to those gathered.
Animal rescue center issues emergency appeal
A facility that provides a haven for rescued animals, including 25 lions, is running low on food and power amid the heavy fighting, the Sudan Animal Rescue Center said in an emergency update on Sunday.
"Our stocks of food and drink are beginning to run out," the center said. It also said it had no electricity to power the safety fences around the enclosure.
"One of our main vehicles, which we use to perform our duties, was stolen," they added.
The sanctuary is home to a number of other animals, including hyenas, gazelles and camels.
"We face extreme risks on a daily basis to perform our duties because the sanctuary is located near one of the military bases that witnesses deadly clashes," the rescue center said.
Sweden to send soldiers to aid in evacuation
The Swedish government has agreed to send a unit of up to 400 armed soldiers to support evacuation efforts in Sudan.
The deployment will be coordinated with other countries and will evacuate other foreign nationals as well as Swedes who are trapped in the country.
Details about the deployment were unclear, but the government hinted that the unit could set off for Sudan in the next 24 hours.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom and Defence Minister Pal Jonson had said on Saturday that they would ask parliament to approve the sending of Swedish forces to Sudan.
Netherlands joins evacuation operation
The Netherlands has joined other countries in evacuating its citizens from Sudan, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Sunday. "An operation by several countries to evacuate citizens from Sudan is ongoing. The Netherlands is participating with a team from Jordan. They will do all they can to get Dutch people out of there as quickly and safely as possible," he said in a post on Twitter.
France begins evacuating citizens
France is carrying out the evacuation of its citizens including diplomatic personnel from Sudan, the Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday.
The ministry has begun the "rapid evacuation operation" and that European citizens and those from allied countries would also be assisted, it said.
AFP reported that the Sudan armed forces and their rival Rapid Support Forces had "given guarantees of securities" to allow the operation, citing a diplomatic source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
US Embassy operations suspended
The fighting in Sudan "posed an unacceptable risk to our embassy personnel," said US State Secretary Antony Blinken.
Biden confirmed that the evacuation of diplomatic staff meant US Embassy in Khartoum would suspend operations.
"But our commitment to the Sudanese people and the future they want for themselves is unending," he added.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Around 16,000 US citizens were registered with the embassy, but officials said this number is likely inaccurate as US citizens are not required to register their presence in the country, nor are they required to notify the embassy if they leave.
"This tragic violence in Sudan has already cost the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians," Biden said. "It's unconscionable and it must stop."
Other governments evacuating citizens
The US evacuation comes after Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday it had evacuated 91 Saudi citizens from Port Sudan to Jeddah, along with 66 nationals from several other "friendly and brotherly countries."
Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said China, France and the United Kingdom are also set to evacuate their citizens on Sunday.
Spain has deployed several aircraft to the nearby country of Djibouti to facilitate evacuations and Jordan also said it was preparing an evacuation mission with Gulf states.
Fighting broke out in Sudan more than a week ago between the north-eastern African country's two most powerful generals and their respective military units.
At least 413 people have been killed and more than 3,500 have been injured since the fighting began, according to the World Health Organization.
ab, zc/sms (Reuters, AFP, AP)
