A second American has been killed in Sudan, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed on Wednesday. The U.S. citizen’s death comes after Kirby said it was “not safe” enough to evacuate Americans stranded in Sudan after the Biden administration evacuated U.S. government employees over the weekend.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family,” Kirby said during a virtual call with reporters, according to Fox News. “We continue to make clear at the highest levels of our government the leadership of both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that they are responsible for ensuring the protection of civilians and noncombatants, including people from third countries and humanitarian staff that are working to save lives.”
During the call, Kirby highlighted the ceasefire organized by the U.S.
“Although there are some reports of violence and sporadic shelling and firing, we’re glad to see that the levels of violence generally appear to have gone significantly down,” he said. “We urge both military factions to fully uphold the ceasefire and to further extend it.
“We’ve said this many, many times that the violence is simply unconscionable and it must stop. We’ve got to do what’s right for the Sudanese people,” Kirby added. “They want a return to peace and security in Khartoum and around the country, and they want to see a transition to civilian authority. And we need to keep working at that.”
Kirby also said President Joe Biden “has asked for every conceivable option to help as many Americans as possible,” adding that the administration is “actively facilitating the departure of a relatively small number of Americans who have indicated to us that they want to leave.”
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
