Americans trapped in Sudan making "life and death decisions" expressed anger at the U.S. government

When news of the possible evacuation came, Deana Welker was already tired and scared as she ran around the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, in search of safe haven, for days and shootouts were taking place throughout the city.

The American teacher, who fled her home shortly after heavy fighting broke out between two power-fighting factions in the country, was at her second hotel when she and other teachers were woken up in the dead of night.

She told reporters: "We (the school administration) said, 'Get dressed, get your bags ready, just wait.'" Because we heard that embassy staff were being evacuated by helicopter. ”

"We thought they were going to take us."

They waited until the early hours of the morning when they finally received an email from the U.S. State Department. The message was to the effect of, "Oh yes, U.S. Embassy staff have been evacuated." Ordinary citizens should not expect help. ”

U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Saturday that the military had withdrawn U.S. government personnel from Khartoum. This follows a week-long clash between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) that left hundreds dead and thousands injured.

Americans trapped in Sudan making a "life-or-death decision" expressed anger at the U.S. government

However, the U.S. State Department advised that U.S. citizens in Sudan "should not expect a coordinated U.S. government evacuation at this time" due to the security situation and the closure of Khartoum airport.

U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said at a news conference last Friday: "U.S. citizens in Sudan must make their own arrangements to stay safe in this difficult situation."

Many U.S. citizens expressed anger and disbelief that they had to fend for themselves alone — and many, like Wilke, had to rely on evacuations from other countries to leave the country.

On Wednesday, Wilke finally returned home to North Carolina, but she knew she was lucky.

"I came out and I was safe, but a lot of the people I cared about, the people I worked with, didn't," she said. "I'm just worried that because the internet is constantly going down right now, it's hard to get information and it's hard to know who's where and who's safe."

Dodge artillery fire

Welk, who works at an international school in Khartoum, woke up to gunfire and explosions outside when fighting broke out between rival groups on April 15.

She and many other teachers live on a main road leading to the airport, one of the main sites of the clashes, which means "there is only gunfire and artillery in front of our building," she said.

She spent the entire first day on the floor of the restaurant – the only window room in her home.

"I listened to gunfire all day, hoping it wouldn't come in from walls and windows," Wilke recalled.

The intense clashes kept her awake for the next two nights until the situation escalated on April 16 when several reporters without borders entered her building, she said. She said they pointed their guns at building guards and only left after being given water and food.

The United States has evacuated American diplomats from Sudan

The United States has evacuated American diplomats from Sudan

The event shook the population; Wilke and her colleagues decided to run away that night, grabbed a bag of essentials and headed to a nearby hotel frequented by U.S. Embassy staff.

They stayed there for two nights, but did not feel safer because of the constant fire of shelling nearby. She said that even when the two factions agreed to a ceasefire, the ceasefire agreement was repeatedly broken and the fighting never stopped.

Another problem soon arose. The whole city was hiding indoors, gunshots rained down on the streets, buildings were shelled, hospitals were attacked, and everyone's supplies were running out.

"The hotel staff called us in and said, 'Look, we're gone with nothing, we can't provide water and food, you all have to find somewhere else,'" Wilke said.

Therefore, the teachers, under the guidance of the school administration, found a larger hotel on the way farther from the battlefield. Wilke recalled walking a winding path in his car to try to avoid checkpoints and pass destroyed homes on the way.

By the time they got the call at 3 a.m., they had been there for two nights, waiting for evacuation, but they never got evacuated. "It's discouraging, to say the least," she said.

Bureaucracy has prevented at least one family from being evacuated from Sudan

Anxiety and uncertainty began to hit, and no one knew what would happen next – but a few hours later came the good news. The French Embassy in Sudan is conducting a separate evacuation for French citizens and welcomes foreigners of other nationalities.

Wilke and other American teachers crammed into several cars with luggage and again through the war-torn streets until they reached the French embassy. They were caught on a charter flight from northern Khartoum to an air base, then boarded a military aircraft before leaving the Sudan on 24 April for neighbouring Djibouti.

From there, everyone booked a ticket home; Of all the trips, she spent two days returning to North Carolina. "But I thought, as long as I get out of there, I don't care," Wilke said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was working to develop "an ongoing process" that would allow Americans to leave Sudan overland, most likely from Port Sudan.

"We believe that the best way for people to have the lasting ability to help them get out of Sudan if they want it is by land," Blinken told a State Department news conference Thursday.

"We are trying to put in place a process that enables people to move overland to a place where they can leave the country more easily, most likely Port Sudan." So we are actively developing. ”

But many Americans trapped in Sudan and those who have fled say it wasn't enough and came too late.

Reporters interviewed people who said the State Department had "provided little assistance" since the deadly violence erupted and that they and their families had to make "life-and-death decisions" about when and how to leave Sudan with little guidance.

Those interviewed on television also disputed claims by U.S. officials that they had warned Americans not to enter Sudan.

Since June 2021, the travel advisory level has been "Level 4: Do Not Travel," and the State Department has been advising U.S. citizens to "develop evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance."

However, there have been no recent security alerts explicitly advising Americans to leave the country.

Wilke also believes that Americans in Sudan are primarily doing so for humanitarian and educational reasons, and that the U.S. should help get back everyone who wants to leave.

"These people aren't going there for vacation," she said. "There's no reason to leave them behind."