By Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The situation in Sudan could worsen at any moment and Americans should leave within the next 24 to 48 hours, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday.
The administration was deeply concerned by an increase in ceasefire violations in Sudan on Wednesday, and the U.S. State Department has deployed additional consular staff, Jean-Pierre said.
“The situation could deteriorate at any moment,” she told a news briefing. “We are working continuously to create options for American citizens to leave Sudan.”
Jean-Pierre said the United States had deployed U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes, which Americans were using.
The U.S. was also moving naval assets within the region, positioning them to provide any necessary support along the Sudanese coast, she added.
“This is a dynamic environment, and any option entails a degree of risk. But because the situation is unlikely to improve, we encourage Americans who want to leave to take advantage of the options that are available to them in the next 24 to 48 hours.”
Jean-Pierre spoke shortly before Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary force agreed to extend a truce for 72 hours following battles with Sudan’s army in Khartoum on Thursday.
The conflict has turned residential areas into war zones and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing for their lives. Hundreds of people have been killed in nearly two weeks of conflict between the army and RSF, which are locked in a power struggle threatening to destabilize the wider region.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland; Writing by Moira Warburton; Editing by Tim Ahmann and David Gregorio)
