President Biden announced on Saturday evening in Washington that the U.S. military had evacuated official personnel from the embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. The evacuation comes following a week of escalating violence, including the death of at least one American citizen.
🚨 #BREAKING: A HEAVY US military presence—including military helicopters and combat aircraft—have been spotted in the skies above the U.S. embassy compound in Sudan as fighting continues
⚠️ EVACUATIONS OF THE EMBASSY ARE UNDERWAY pic.twitter.com/PThq1Nfcum
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 22, 2023
“Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract U.S. Government personnel from Khartoum,” Biden said in a statement Saturday night. “I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our Embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America’s friendship and connection with the people of Sudan,” he continued. “I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully brought them to safety,” Biden said. “And I thank Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which were critical to the success of our operation.”
Success? Before we go any further, there is no way we can call this mission a success. And who better to explain why than Joe Biden?
“I am receiving regular reports from my team on their ongoing work to assist Americans in Sudan, to the extent possible,” Biden said, adding that his administration is “also working closely with our allies and partners in this effort.”
HORRIBLE – SENT TO ME: This is what the Dept of State has been telling Americans trapped in #Sudan before the military evacuation today of only government personnel. Many Americans trapped in Sudan, I am told. They may not be evacuated like those at the embassy. pic.twitter.com/3n973HUU3d
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 23, 2023
That’s right. Once again, Joe Biden left Americans behind. And not just a few.
According to NBC News, an estimated 16,000 Americans were not included in the evacuation of less than 100 diplomatic personnel by Biden. The latest updates from Sudan by his administration indicate that there may be little that can be done now to assist them, except for hoping that a ceasefire will be upheld and the violence will decrease. But hope is not a plan.
Related: The Morning Briefing: Blood on Biden’s Hands From Afghanistan Withdrawal Can’t Be Washed Away
Is this what Biden calls a success? There seem to be few options for the Americans left behind. According to the State Department, following the evacuation, it “cannot provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Sudan, due to the current security situation.”
And all the administration seems to be able to do is shrug.
During a late-night briefing, Ambassador John Bass, Biden’s Under Secretary of State for Management, painted a bleak picture for the Americans left behind who now have to fend for themselves in Sudan’s “uncertain environment.” He noted that there is currently an absence of commercial and charter aircraft capabilities or feasible overland road routes to leave the country. According to Under Secretary Bass, this reality compelled the Biden administration to rely on the military’s capabilities to evacuate the diplomatic personnel.
For private American citizens still in Sudan on Sunday morning, Bass couldn’t provide much hope. He reminded them that the State Department had issued a notice over a decade ago, cautioning American citizens not to travel to Sudan. Despite this warning, even the Biden administration was forced to reassess its posture in Sudan when violent fighting erupted in Khartoum a week ago, leading to the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and the suspension of embassy operations.
“We don’t anticipate those security conditions are going to change in the near term,” Bass said. “As a result of that uncertain security picture, as a result of the unavailability of the civilian airport, we don’t foresee coordinating a U.S. Government evacuation for our fellow citizens in Sudan at this time or in the coming days.”
Make no mistake about it: this is Benghazi 2012 all over again; this is Afghanistan 2021 all over again.
And Biden called it a success.
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