"The Secretary of Defense [Lloyd Austin] approved a request for assistance from the Department of State to support the safe departure of US citizens and their immediate family members via overland. The Department of Defense deployed US intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes, which Americans are using, and we are moving naval assets within the region to provide any necessary support along the coast," Singh said in a statement.
The US priority "has been and remains" to help as many US citizens leave Sudan as safely as possible, according to Singh.
Earlier in the day, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that a US convoy carrying US citizens and other foreigners had arrived at Port Sudan, with the State Department assisting people to depart the African country.
"A U.S. government-organized convoy carrying US citizens, locally employed staff, and nationals from allied and partner countries arrived at Port Sudan on April 29. From there, we are assisting US citizens and others who are eligible with onward travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where additional US personnel are positioned to assist with consular and emergency services," Miller stated.
Hundreds of US citizens have already left Sudan through these options provided by the US government, according to Miller.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing US officials, that in the past days, a bus convoy carrying between 200 and 300 Americans traveled over 500 miles to Port Sudan, under the watch of US drones, which have been keeping an eye on overland evacuation routes.
On April 15, violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese regular armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, with the epicenter located in Khartoum. The parties have introduced a number of temporary nationwide ceasefires since then, but the conflict has not been settled yet. On Thursday, the sides agreed to extend the current ceasefire for another 72 hours.
According to Sudan’s Health Ministry, around 600 people have died in the clashes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported over 450 dead and more than 4,000 injured.