The United States is pressing Sudanese military leaders to expand a ceasefire and is exploring options to return a diplomatic consular presence to the country as soon as possible, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday.
He told a news conference with Kenyan Foreign Secretary Alfred Mutua that deteriorating security conditions in Khartoum posed unacceptable risks to keep personnel there at this time, and that the department was communicating with Americans in the country.
“We continue to be in close communication with US citizens and individuals affiliated with the US government to provide assistance and to facilitate available departure routes for those seeking to move to safety,” Blinken said.
He also expressed concern about the engagement of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group in Sudan, although did not elaborate.
The United States, he said, was pressing Sudanese military leaders to extend and expand a ceasefire and that U.S. officials were continuing “to engage directly” with Sudanese military leaders General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, head of the army and leader of Sudan’s ruling council since 2019, and his deputy on the council, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti.
Mutua said Kenya is not pulling its diplomats out of Sudan because it wants a presence as negotiations continue toward a peaceful settlement.
Source: Qatar News Agency