More than 100 American Sudan evacuees arrive in Saudi Arabia

More than 100 American citizens reached safety in Saudi Arabia from the fighting in Sudan on Monday, as the U.S. steps up its evacuation efforts from the country that has plunged into deadly infighting.

The group of Americans reached a port in Jeddah on Monday, according to CBS News. They crossed the Red Sea after making a 500-mile drive across Sudan from Khartoum, the capital city where the fighting is most intense, to a port on its east coast. From there, they boarded a U.S. Navy ship for the trip to Saudi Arabia.

The group was part of about 1,000 citizens the U.S. government has been able to evacuate from Sudan since the fighting started. 

The evacuations of American citizens come as the fighting in Sudan between the government and a warring paramilitary group has claimed the lives of more than 400 civilians, according to Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, which is monitoring deaths in the country. 

The intense fighting in Khartoum between the government and the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group that used to be aligned with the military, has reached its third week. The two groups, which joined forces for a military coup in 2021, now risk plunging the country into a civil war.

About 16,000 Americans live in the country, according to the State Department. The U.S. has taken steps to ramp down its functions in Sudan, with the State Department halting the operations of the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum. 

The U.S. and international partners have continued to pressure for a peaceful solution and end to the violence. The two sides agreed to extend a cease-fire for another 72 hours on Sunday, according to the Associated Press, which is meant to allow humanitarian aid and evacuation efforts to run safely.

Despite the agreed ceasefire, the sides have continued fighting while de-escalating the battle in some areas, according to the AP.