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04/28/2023 05:53 PM EDT
Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson
1:18 p.m. EDT
[]MR PATEL: Good afternoon, everybody. I’ve got two very quick things and then we’ll dive right into your questions. I do have a hard out today, so I am going to be mindful of the clock.
But first and foremost, there is no higher priority for this administration than the safety and security of U.S. nationals around the world. Russia and Iran’s continued pattern of wrongfully detaining U.S. nationals is deeply troubling. We have repeatedly called on Russia and Iran to release wrongfully detained U.S. nationals, but Moscow and Tehran have chosen to ignore these requests.
Yesterday, we used authorities established by EO 14078, which builds on the Levinson Act, to promote accountability for those responsible for wrongfully detaining or holding hostage U.S. nationals abroad. As you know, Iran abducted former FBI agent Bob Levinson in 2007, and Iranian authorities have yet to account for Bob’s fate. Bob Levinson’s legacy endures through the Levinson Act, which bolsters our ability to bring home hostages and wrongfully detained U.S. nationals held overseas.
In what marks the first use of EO 14078, the Department of State designated Russia’s Federal Security Service and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Intelligence Organization for their involvement in the wrongful detention of U.S. nationals. We also designated four senior officials in Iran’s IRGC Intelligence Organization.
The U.S. will continue our relentless efforts to secure the release of U.S. nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained and reunite them with their loved ones. Yesterday’s actions are one tool, and we will continue to do all that we can to bring Americans home.
[] Secondly, on Sudan, and I have additional updates for you all. We remain dedicated to assisting U.S. citizens in Sudan. As Secretary Blinken said, we are actively helping U.S. citizens who seek to depart Sudan to move overland to a location where they can more easily exit the country. We’re not going to get into operational specifics given security considerations, but I will reiterate that this is a very fluid and dynamic situation.
We cannot guarantee travelers’ safety, nor can we guarantee how long these departure options will be available. And we strongly encourage U.S. citizens in Sudan to complete the crisis intake form on the Embassy Khartoum website to provide their contact information so that our team of consular officers here in D.C., who are working around the clock, can communicate directly with them on specific details.
We are deeply grateful to our allies and partners who have included U.S. citizens in their own departure operations. Multiple countries have provided key engagement in our diplomatic efforts, as well as their critical work to help U.S. citizens depart Sudan. We continue to coordinate and lead on these efforts.
Over the course of this crisis, we have been actively soliciting contact with U.S. citizens seeking help. So far, fewer than 5,000 U.S. citizens have requested additional information from us. Of those, only a fraction have actively sought our assistance to depart Sudan. We can also confirm that, in addition to our official embassy personnel, several hundred U.S. citizens have already departed by – departed Sudan either by land, sea, or aircraft. We encourage U.S. citizens who are no longer in Sudan to respond to the message they received when they first completed the online crisis form to inform us of their safe departure.
We are providing the best possible information we can to anyone asking for our assistance about conditions regarding safety and security, so that they can make their own decisions about whether and when to depart.
As Secretary Blinken has previously communicated, the U.S. is committed to bringing an end to the conflict in Sudan. And to that end, the U.S., in close cooperation with our partners, has been continuously engaging the SAF and the RSF. The parties agreed to extend the current ceasefire for an additional 72 hours and have expressed their readiness to engage in dialogue to establish a durable cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements. It is clear that there have been multiple violations of the ceasefire. But implementing ceasefires is often difficult at the start, but the violations of the ceasefire do not mean a failure of the ceasefire. And we are working with partners to ensure better monitoring of activity and engaging both parties to improve adherence.
And with that, Matt, if you wanted to —
QUESTION: Yeah. Look, I realize that you’re limited in what you can say, but you say that fewer than 5,000 have requested information about leaving, and only a fraction of them have – are actually – have actually told you that they’re going to leave. What kind of fraction are we talking about here? Because that could be – that could be anything.
MR PATEL: Matt —
QUESTION: That could be five out of 100. You remember math class, right? So fractions are – it could be 99 out of 100 for all we know.
MR PATEL: Matt, we have – we often – we generally do not provide numbers of U.S. citizen —
QUESTION: I know. But I’m just trying to – I’m trying to pin you down on when you say only a fraction have actually asked— like, what kind of fraction?
MR PATEL: I’m just not going to be more prescriptive than that, Matt. This is a very fluid and dynamic situation, as I said, but the important thing to remember —
QUESTION: More?
MR PATEL: The important thing to remember is that fewer than 5,000 people have registered through this crisis form.
QUESTION: The more important – the more important thing – no, because as we know, the 5,000 who have – or the fewer than 5,000 who have requested information are not all in Sudan, and they might be people in, I don’t know, Australia who just want to know what the U.S. is saying about this. So how many American citizens have actually gotten in touch with you to say we would like to get out, please help us?
MR PATEL: As I have said, Matt, fewer than 5,000 individuals have chosen to communicate with us through this crisis form —
QUESTION: Yeah, but you don’t know – but that 5,000 does not – it’s not all American citizens, right?
MR PATEL: A fraction of that have requested assistance in departing the country.
QUESTION: But all – but those fewer than 5,000 is not all Americans, right?
MR PATEL: There is a verification check as it relates to the crisis communication form.
QUESTION: So they are?
MR PATEL: I think you’re conflating Smart Traveler and this separate form.
QUESTION: No, I’m asking about the 5,000 who have requested information.
MR PATEL: Okay. I am speaking —
QUESTION: They are all American citizens, you know?
MR PATEL: I wouldn’t be able to confirm that from here. Obviously it’s a public form that anybody can register. But the number of individuals who have chosen to communicate with us through that form has been fewer than 5,000. The number of Americans who have gotten in touch with us and have expressed a desire to leave the country through our assistance has been a fraction of that.
Beyond – and as I said at the top, in addition to the number of official embassy personnel that were evacuated through the operation last weekend, several hundred American citizens have indicated to us that they have been able to successfully and safely depart Sudan through land, through air, through airplane, many of which have been through our facilitation and our help in close coordination with our allies and partners.
QUESTION: Sorry. Land, air, and airplane? You mean land, air, and sea?
MR PATEL: Correct.
QUESTION: Okay. And do you have a breakdown of that, or even a better number, or a rough idea of the number of Americans, private Americans, who —
MR PATEL: I am certainly not going to be more prescriptive than several hundred given the very fluid security situation on the ground.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR PATEL: Go ahead, Kylie.
QUESTION: So hold on. So just to clarify on that, so several hundred Americans have gotten out of the country with the assistance of the U.S. Government; is that right?
MR PATEL: Several hundred U.S. citizens have already departed Sudan either by land, sea, or aircraft. I’m not going to be prescriptive of how much of those we’ve been in direct communication with. But throughout our communications with American citizens, we are connecting them with avenues for departure of the country.
QUESTION: Okay. And then can you just tell us what your message to Americans in Sudan today who want to leave is? What is the best way today for them to get out of the country if they want to leave?
MR PATEL: The best way for an American citizen who is currently in Sudan and is – has a desire to leave the country is to register with the crisis form on Embassy Khartoum’s website so that our consular officers can get in touch with them and get the best sense of their particular situation and connect them with some kind of modality to safety. What that will be will ultimately depend on the decision point of that individual and when they’ve made the determination that it is their desire to leave the country or not. Of course, each individual and each family is going to make that determination based on what makes the most sense to them based on the circumstances on the ground.
QUESTION: And you’re suggesting multiple modalities to them to get out of the country?
MR PATEL: Again, what we are doing is we are assessing what circumstances they are in, and we are then connecting the with the appropriate avenue or resource. I am not going to get more specific than that.
QUESTION: Okay. And then on consular officers who are working on this, obviously we know that there are no U.S. diplomatic personnel in Sudan. As far as we know, they’re not headed there right now. But how many consular officers across the department working remotely has the department surged to work on this crisis?
MR PATEL: I don’t have a fact and figure for you, Kylie, but I can assure that this entire department, the entire Bureau of Consular Affairs, is working around the clock to do their part in helping American citizens. We also, of course, have consular officers at other posts. We’ve spoken quite publicly about how we have consular officers in Jeddah ready and able to assist American citizens who may need consular emergency services. So this is an around-the-clock, entire department effort.
QUESTION: But have you surged consular officers to work on this, or are these just folks who were in those embassies and have picked up this new assignment?
MR PATEL: Again, I’m not going to get prescriptive given – or specific given the security dynamic. But we were clear as early as the beginning of this week that we have sent additional consular officers to the region to continue to assist with these efforts.
QUESTION: Vedant, the Secretary mentioned yesterday that you were assessing some sort of U.S.-facilitated mechanism – I think he used the word “mechanism” so I’ll use that word – for the overland route to Port Sudan. Any specifics on that? Any developments? Any —
MR PATEL: Nothing that I am going to get into from here, Leon. I will reiterate what the Secretary said is that we have a commitment to helping U.S. citizens who seek to depart. We’re doing that. That work is ongoing. And we are working to more actively determine ways in we can – which we can offer support for overland routes to depart the country.
QUESTION: I’m just wondering because other organizations and countries have used these convoys, and including some American citizens who have been in them, and then others have chartered flights and so forth. United States seems more – little bit on the back track of this.
MR PATEL: Leon, I think it’s really important to remember here that these are collective and collaborative efforts. Our allies and partners that are conducting operations that we are – that are able to also take American citizens out, we of course are incredibly thankful and gracious for their ability to do so, but this is a collective and collaborative effort. The circumstances on the ground are as such that evacuation operations are being able to be undertook because of the 72 ceasefire – 72-hour ceasefire that many in the U.S. Government, including in this department, have been so instrumental in getting these two generals to adhere to.
So this is a collective and collaborative effort. Each country is ultimately going to make their own sovereign decision as it relates to risk and risk assessment. But we are in close touch with our allies and partners, and our allies and partners are in close touch with us. We are offering logistical support for some of these operations to be conducted, whether they be overland, whether they be through the air. So this is incredibly collaborative. The U.S. is certainly not not engaged in this.
QUESTION: Can I just – can I just follow up on this very quickly?
MR PATEL: Said.
QUESTION: So you can confirm that you are actually actively talking to both sides at the present time, right? You are talking to both warring factions?
MR PATEL: Said, we have been in regular engagement with both of the generals for many, many days now.
QUESTION: Including directly with General Hemedti, correct?
MR PATEL: The Secretary has had the opportunity over the course of the past many days to speak to both generals. Others in this department have had the opportunity to speak with both generals. We continue to be deeply engaged on this because we strongly believe that a extension and adherence of a ceasefire is not just important for the people of Sudan and for returning to something that is reflective of the will of the Sudanese people, but it also has been so incredibly critical in allowing such operations to take place that are allowing to get American citizens to safety as well as the citizens and personnel of our allies and partners.
Camilla.
QUESTION: Vedant, thanks. Can you just clarify what – when American citizens come to Jeddah from Sudan, what their options are, and whether most of them will be returning to the United States?
MR PATEL: So, of course, that option is going to – these will be decisions based on what their own determinations and decision points are. Without getting into specific cases, if that – if those individuals have documentation to be in other countries, they’re of course welcome to do that. But of course, these are also American citizens, and should they have the appropriate documentation to re-enter the United States, they’re able to do that as well. And for anything in between, our consular officers are on hand to help them assess and determine the most appropriate next steps.
QUESTION: Can you give any idea if the majority of them are returning to the United States, though?
MR PATEL: Again, each case is so different. The important thing to remember here, Camilla, is that American citizens, American nationals in country who may choose to depart, there is not a single moment or point in time in which they all are collectively deciding to depart. This is a very personal and difficult decision. You saw the Secretary speak to this a little bit the earlier part of this week. Many of the American citizens in the country are dual nationals, many of which have built their lives in Sudan, so this is a very personal and difficult decision for them to make, and it is an iterative process.
QUESTION: Do they have an option to stay in Jeddah if they’re waiting for family to come out of Sudan and join them? Is there —
MR PATEL: I just don’t have any specifics on the exact processes, but of course, we have consular officers on hand ready to assist them to determine what makes the most sense.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Can you give a sense of what could be happening in the next 72 hours, what the goals are of the U.S. and the other members of the quad in order to try to move from this current crisis?
MR PATEL: Well, the goals are quite clear. We have been continuously engaging the SAF and the RSF to continue to further extend the 72 ceasefire and get us to a point where we can have a durable cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements. The other piece of this, as I spoke to, is that reduction in violence will allow and continue to allow for the conditions to persist that are allowing operations to take place that are getting American citizens to safety, that are getting our allies and partners to safety, and the personnel and citizens of our allies and partners to safety as well.
QUESTION: And what about humanitarian access?
MR PATEL: Of course, that is a big, key piece of this as well. And one of the key pieces that we’re engaging with on these two generals is that – the need for a ceasefire so that there can be a reduction in violence, get us to a cessation of hostilities, and also allow some sort of free flow of humanitarian access to get the Sudanese people and others impacted by this violence the help that they so desperately need.
QUESTION: Is there a sense that the generals are hearing in particular the need to allow safe passage for aid workers to get medicine in, to get food in? Are they hearing it? Are they trying to make this possible? Are you seeing those signs?
MR PATEL: I’m not going to try and get into the minds of these two generals, Rosiland. But what I can say is that it is very clear to the United States and it is very clear to the – to our partners the destruction that this is unleashing on the country of Sudan and the Sudanese people, and the dire impact that it is having. And so it is our hope that the two generals recognize that, and they recognize the violence that it is and the negative impacts it’s unleashing on its own people. And we hope that they’ll continue to remain engaged with us for an extension of a ceasefire that will ultimately get us to hopefully a cessation of hostilities and free flow of humanitarian access as well.
QUESTION: And finally, the 72-hour period – and this may be getting a little bit into the weeds – is this enough of a confidence-building measure? Is there a reason why the period isn’t for five calendar days, versus three calendar days? What’s the thinking behind that?
MR PATEL: I am just not going to get into the specifics of the negotiations and how those are taking place. Our key point and metric is that we want this to be extended and adhered to for two main points. One, it is incredibly important for the country of Sudan and the Sudanese people; two, these ceasefires that the United States has played an incredible and integral role in negotiating have allowed and created conditions that have allowed us to work collaboratively with allies and partners to get individuals to safety. And that’s why it’s so critically important.
Anything else still on this subject?
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
MR PATEL: Anything on Sudan?
QUESTION: Yeah, yeah.
MR PATEL: I’m going to go to – and then I’ll come to you, Guita. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Yeah, there are suggestion that China is well equipped in terms of leverage to talk with both generals – general – for a solid ceasefire that could end the fighting. (A) Are you aware about it? (B) If that happened, would you lend it support?
MR PATEL: I am going to let other countries speak to their own diplomatic engagements in the region. What I will say is that the United States has been working this issue from multiple angles, from as many angles as we can. Secretary Blinken, to take a step back, had the opportunity to speak to both of these generals when he was on travel in Asia, which many of you were on that trip. He had the opportunity to speak with both generals when he was in Japan. Once he returned to the United States, he had the opportunity to participate in an AU ministers virtual session led by Chair Faki in which they talked about this very issue.
Secretary Blinken, Assistant Secretary Phee, and others continue to be deeply engaged on this – of course directly through these two generals, but also through mechanisms like the Quad – Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the United Kingdom and the U.S. – as well as through the trilateral mechanism of the AU, IGAD, and the United Nations as well.