WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A second American has died in Sudan, the White House said on Wednesday, adding that it was helping a small number of U.S. citizens seeking to leave the country amid ongoing clashes even as overall violence appeared significantly down.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby, speaking to reporters, said the Biden administration was continuing to work with both sides of the conflict to strengthen the ceasefire in order to allow in more humanitarian assistance.
“We urge both military factions” to abide by the ceasefire “and to further extend it,” Kirby told reporters, adding that the violence “levels… generally appear to have gone significantly down.”
“The levels are down, but we want to see the levels at zero,” he added.
The White House’s comments come as fighting between Sudan’s army and a paramilitary force flared on the outskirts of the capital of Khartoum despite a truce aimed at quelling the 11-day conflict.
Kirby said U.S. President Joe Biden “has asked for every conceivable option to help as many Americans as possible,” and that it “was actively facilitating the departure of a relatively small number of Americans” who wanted to leave.
Some U.S. citizens had arrived at Port Sudan to evacuate and were being supported, and the United States was continuing to support other limited evacuation efforts, he added.
USAID has deployed teams in the region and is prepared to help provide humanitarian assistance but any ceasefire would have to remain in place and be extended, Kirby told reporters.
(Reporting By Steve Holland and Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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