U.S deploys more troops to Djibouti in case of a Sudan evacuation

GOOBJOOG NEWS | DJIBOUTI: The United States has deployed more troops to its East African base in Djibouti to standby in case there is need to evacuate its diplomats and citizens from Sudan.

According to the U.S Defense Department, the move has been necessitated by the deteriorating situation in Sudan where clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which has seen more than 200 civilians killed and thousands injured.

“We are deploying additional capabilities nearby in the region for contingency purposes related to securing and potentially facilitating the departure of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan, if circumstances require it,” a department spokesperson said.

Despite calls for a ceasefire, army chief Abdel Fattah Burhan and the RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo each appear determined to win outright military victory over the other – further worsening the stalemate.

The U.S Department of Defense officials said the troops will be forward based at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti and that one possible response force would be a combination of Marine air power and Army ground units.

The U.S. already has hundreds of Marines at Lemonnier, including an aviation combat element known as Crisis Response Africa, one of the quick reaction forces set up after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

However, while the military is preparing for the possible evacuation of the U.S. Embassy or American citizens, the officials said there has been no official request for either from the State Department.

The United Nations has already warned of a possible spillover of the conflict to other countries in the region such as neighboring Ethiopia and South Sudan as Sudanese civilians flee – causing a possible refugee crisis.