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05/01/2023 08:44 PM EDT
Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson
2:13 p.m. EDT
MR PATEL: Good afternoon, everybody. Full house today. Wow. Well, welcome. Before I dive right in, I did just want to welcome Ben Hall back to the briefing room. We are so glad to see you here and just everything that you have been through, and just welcome back to the department. And we’ll hope to see you around here more often.
QUESTION: Thank you, Vedant.
[]MR PATEL: All right. I have one very brief thing, and then we’ll dive right into your questions. I wanted to provide you all an update on our efforts in Sudan from the weekend.
Three U.S. government-facilitated convoys successfully enabled groups of U.S. citizens, their immediate family members, nationals from allied and partner countries to arrive safely in Port Sudan on April 29th, April 30th, and today.
These convoys have assisted over 700 individuals. We unfortunately don’t have a further breakdown at this moment.
From there, we have been assisting U.S. citizens and others who are eligible with onward travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where additional U.S. personnel are positioned to assist with consular and emergency services.
This successful operation would not have been possible without the dedication and bravery of our locally employed staff who facilitated the movements from Khartoum during an arduous overland journey to Port Sudan. We salute their commitment and applaud their courage.
This builds on the U.S. government’s efforts to assist the departure of our diplomats, private U.S. citizens, and Lawful Permanent Residents by land convoys, flights on partner aircraft, and by sea.
In a multinational effort, the U.S. Government, in concert with allies and partners, has facilitated the departure of over 1,000 U.S. citizens from Sudan since the start of the violence.
This effort has included intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance overwatch, close coordination with partner nations on flights and convoys, and a sustained diplomatic and messaging effort to approximately 5,000 U.S. citizens who have sought our guidance.
For those among them who have sought our assistance to depart, we are working tirelessly and around the clock to ensure those who have sought our assistance in Sudan that they are aware of all options for evacuation.
More than 200 U.S. government officials have been working around the clock since the start crisis, 24/7 to coordinate these efforts with allies and partners to facilitate safe departure of U.S. citizens. Officials within our task force – which comprises interagency experts focused on coordinating logistics, consular, diplomatic, and assistance efforts – are also working around the clock with stakeholders across the U.S. Government.
Since April 24th, we have moved State Department personnel from Washington, D.C. and overseas missions including, among others, to Djibouti, Jeddah, Nicosia, and Nairobi to assist U.S. citizens departing Sudan.
Additionally, U.S. consular officers are on hand in Port Sudan to provide consular assistance to U.S. citizens. I will note the security environment is dynamic, and the positioning of our personnel in Port Sudan may be subject to change.
Task force personnel here in D.C. and those supporting U.S. citizens departing Sudan at posts in the region have worked more than 1,200 collective hours based on initial conservative estimates.
We have sent and responded to more than 25,000 e-mails and thousands of phone calls and text messages providing information, coordination, and assistance to U.S. citizens.
There continue to be options available on commercial vessels traveling from Port Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
For departure from Port Sudan to a neighboring location, U.S. officials stand ready to provide consular assistance to U.S. citizens upon arrival to neighboring countries.
U.S. citizens who were not able to take advantage of the several convoy opportunities should reach out to us using the crisis intake form on our website if they have not done so. We will continue to inform our citizens of departure options that may make sense or work for them – including by land, air, and sea – including options facilitated by partner nations.
Intensive negotiations by the U.S. with the support of our regional and international partners enabled the security conditions that have allowed the departure of thousands of foreign and U.S. citizens, including through today’s operation – this weekend’s operation. We continue to call on Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to end the fighting that is endangering all civilians.
And we reiterate our warning to U.S. citizens not to travel to Sudan.
Matt, if you’d like to —
QUESTION: Right.
MR PATEL: — kick us off.
QUESTION: Well, before I turn it over to Ben for the first question, I just want to say something about his return.
MR PATEL: Yeah.
QUESTION: There were quite a lot of words spoken over this weekend in Washington, D.C. about the importance of a free press and the role that it plays in informing the world – the American people and others. And I just want to remind everyone that Ben literally almost paid for this principle with his life, and we’re very thankful that he survived and recovered and is back with us here in the briefing room. So it’s really good to – it’s really good to see you, and welcome back. Let me just stand up and give you a round of applause. (Applause.)
MR PATEL: And I just want to say again, I obviously didn’t work here when you were in a place to not attend briefings, but I am so glad to be up here to welcome you back. So seriously, welcome.
QUESTION: Thank you. I won’t take your time too long. We have a lot of questions to get to, but I felt all the support from this room, I really did, throughout, and it gave me a lot of strength to keep going. So I’m so grateful for everyone who reached out, and I appreciate it all. I will say that the briefing room was probably the thing I missed most while I was away, being in here. So I’m glad to be back.
I’ll pass it back to you for the first question.
QUESTION: Oh, no, way – well – really?
QUESTION: Well, then —
QUESTION: Go ahead.
QUESTION: Then quickly I wanted to know about Sudan. I wonder if there are any more convoys which are planned. Do we expect to see any in the coming days?
MR PATEL: So that is all going to depend on the very delicate security situation and security environment in Khartoum and Port Sudan as well. We’ll continue to assess and look at this from all angles. Currently we don’t have any immediate convoys planned, but this will largely depend, as I said, on the security situation as well as the desire from any remaining American citizens to safely depart Sudan. So we’ll continue to monitor and make announcements as appropriate.
QUESTION: Any update on numbers, how many are still trying to leave?
MR PATEL: So again, to reiterate what I said, we have through our crisis intake form communicated with approximately fewer than 5,000 American citizens who have sought guidance and sought communication from the American Government. And since the violence began, we have safely facilitated the departure of approximately 1,000 American citizens from Sudan. This, of course, has been through a variety of modalities, whether it be our convoys, convoys from multilateral and international organizations, or flights from our partner and allies as well.
QUESTION: So on Sudan, the evacuations –
MR PATEL: Yeah.
QUESTION: So when was this third convoy?
MR PATEL: What do you mean, Matt?
QUESTION: Well, were there three, or only two?
MR PATEL: There are – there were three. The third was a convoy of –
QUESTION: So the first one was Saturday.
MR PATEL: Correct.
QUESTION: The second one and – two and three were on Sunday?
MR PATEL: Two was on Sunday, and I believe that I will have to get the exact timing for you, but the third one arrived earlier today, Sudan time.
QUESTION: In Port Sudan?
MR PATEL: In Port Sudan, correct.
QUESTION: Okay. And then in terms of – and I know that you guys are not wanting to give the numbers, but I don’t see how it could be an issue. How many American citizens or LPRs have the consular staff in Jeddah assisted?
MR PATEL: Matt, I don’t have a specific number for you. What I can say —
QUESTION: Can you give us a rough estimate?
MR PATEL: What I can say is – reiterate the numbers and the metrics that I’ve shared, which is that since the violence –
QUESTION: Yeah, but that doesn’t my —
MR PATEL: I understand the question.
QUESTION: You can’t – so the answer is no.
MR PATEL: Matt, the other important piece to remember, Jeddah is not the only place that individuals are going.
QUESTION: But I’m only asking you about Jeddah.
MR PATEL: I understand. I understand, and I do not have a —
QUESTION: I’m not asking you about the entire universe. I’m asking you about Jeddah.
MR PATEL: I don’t have a firm, specific —
QUESTION: Really? Do they not have a count? CA doesn’t have a count of the number of people that they’ve – really?
MR PATEL: Matt. This is an ongoing situation.
QUESTION: I know it’s ongoing; I’m asking you so far. So obviously, you don’t want to answer that question.
MR PATEL: I don’t have a further specific breakdown for you.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR PATEL: Okay. Humeyra.
QUESTION: Vedant, the numbers have been a little bit all around the place, but I’m going to ask a numbers question as well. What is your assessment at the moment on how many more American citizens require U.S. facilitation to depart Sudan?
MR PATEL: There is not a specific snapshot number to provide, Humeyra. American citizens will make the determination on when they would like to safely depart Sudan at a time and at a modality that works for them. Each circumstance is different. What I can say is that through the crisis intake form, we have communicated to fewer than 5,000 American citizens, and since the beginning of the violence we have been able to safely evacuate approximately 1,000.
What I will say, in my topper I mentioned that the three convoys from this weekend carried a total population of more than 700. And so those are not reflected in that 1,000 number yet.
QUESTION: And are you able to say how many of the 700 people were American citizens?
MR PATEL: As I said, we don’t have a more specific breakdown for you all at the moment, but when I do I will be sure to share that with you.
QUESTION: Okay. And then when you say we have been in touch with less than 5,000, we have gotten out 1,000 – so can we deduct that number from the 5,000 and assume that you guys are still in touch, in active communication, however you want to put it, with the remaining 4,000 who still expressed some sort of a willingness to leave?
MR PATEL: The thing to – the important thing to remember, Humeyra, is that not every American citizen who has necessarily gotten to safety has deregistered from the crisis intake form, which is why it is hard to give you a very specific snapshot and time update. So no, I would not say that at this time it’s accurate to make that kind of math.
QUESTION: To – just to clarify, the —
MR PATEL: Yeah.
QUESTION: From what you just said – I don’t want to get into a numbers war, but —
MR PATEL: Well —
QUESTION: The 700 since Friday, this is —
MR PATEL: Seven hundred individuals —
QUESTION: Since Friday?
MR PATEL: – from the three convoys.
QUESTION: Yes.
MR PATEL: Yes.
QUESTION: Those are not included in the 1,000?
MR PATEL: Correct. And I am saying 700 individuals because I don’t have yet a specific breakdown for you of how many were American citizens, how many were other nationalities.
QUESTION: Okay. But then how could – yesterday in your statement, so you were saying 1,000 from – and that was at the time of the second convoy.
MR PATEL: So that continues to be the case.
QUESTION: Yeah.
MR PATEL: Since the violence intensified, we have been able to get approximately 1,000 American citizens out through other mechanisms such as partner flights, such as convoys from other countries, such as convoys from multilateral international organizations. We are basing this off of, one, just cross-referencing the information that is provided to us, but also, as American citizens seek out consular access or consular assistance in other places where people from Sudan are going to, we’re able to put those pieces together.
QUESTION: But presumably, with the extra 700 – and I’m assuming there were American citizens in those 700 —
MR PATEL: There were, yes.
QUESTION: Quite a few.
MR PATEL: So that number —
QUESTION: So we’re over 1,000.
MR PATEL: That number – exactly. That number would go up. That is correct, Leon.
Let me go to Camilla and then I’ll come to you, Said. Camilla, go ahead.
QUESTION: Thanks, Vedant. Just off of what Leon was saying –
MR PATEL: I’m assuming still on the subject. Yeah, go ahead.
QUESTION: Yeah. The 1,000 American citizens that have got out – and you said that that’s a combination of U.S. convoys and other routes with allies and partners – would you say most of them have got out through other routes, or would you say most of those have gone out through a U.S. convoy, or do you have any idea of the breakdown?
MR PATEL: I’m not going to get into a specific breakdown, Camilla. This obviously is a very fluid and dynamic situation, and we’ll continue to offer as much information as we can.
QUESTION: And I just have one other question on – in Port Sudan, there’s some privately chartered vessels that we’ve heard about. CBS is on the ground there. They apparently have less than 20 percent occupancy and they won’t sail until they have 80 percent occupancy. I was wondering if you’re aware of any American citizens who’ve tried to go on those private vessels.
MR PATEL: I’m not aware of specific cases, but that is something that we’re continuing to pay close attention to. And what I will also note is that our convoys, they were not 100 percent full, either. Just given the ongoing and fluid security situation, we were able to take the package of people that we could and then were able to safety get them to Port Sudan. But I’m not aware of this specific case.
QUESTION: And people on the U.S. convoys will be going via U.S. vessels?
MR PATEL: There are a number of options available in Port Sudan. Obviously, there are – there was public reporting of a U.S. naval vessel that helped facilitate transfer to Jeddah. There are private ferries. There’s a regular schedule of a ferry leaving Port Sudan to Jeddah. And so a lot of those options continue to be at our disposal.
Said.
QUESTION: There has been talk or reports that Saudi Arabia may host talks between Hemedti and Burhan. Are you aware of these reports?
MR PATEL: That would be a question for the kingdom to speak to. What I will say, Said, is that throughout this whole process, of course, Saudi Arabia has played an important role, not just in welcoming American citizens to Jeddah and offering space for our consular activities to take place, but also through the auspices of the quad – obviously, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the United States. They’ve been an important interlocutor with these two generals in insisting and calling on a ceasefire that have allowed the security conditions for such operations to take place. But I don’t have a specific summit to speak to.
QUESTION: But since you worked in step with the Saudis on this issue all along since the fighting broke out, it wouldn’t be – it would be safe to assume that you would be involved in such talks? And so —
MR PATEL: A hundred percent, Said. We have been deeply, deeply engaged in these – making these ceasefires possible and these ceasefires being extended. These diplomatic negotiations that this department has intensely been involved with from the Secretary, from others, have allowed and created the security conditions for such operations to take place where we’ve been able to safely facilitate the departure of not just our citizens but the citizens of our allies and partners as well.
QUESTION: Do you have any updates on the formation of the mechanism towards the ceasefire and to bring the parties to the table?
MR PATEL: I don’t have a specific update for you, Michel, from Friday. This is something that we continue to be deeply engaged on. As you saw, the two generals on Sunday evening further extended the 72-hour ceasefire. We welcome that step, and we are continuing to call on the ceasefire to be adhered to, to be respected, and for it to be extended even further so that we can continue to work towards a durable cessation of hostilities that gets us back to the will of the Sudanese people, which is a transitional government rooted in democracy.
Anything else on Sudan before I move away? Kylie, go ahead.
QUESTION: Two quick questions.
MR PATEL: Yeah.
QUESTION: There are some reports from other outlets about the Wagner group having established a presence at Port Sudan. I’m wondering if the U.S. has seen any presence of the Wagner group at that port and if that would further complicate efforts to get out American citizens from that port.
MR PATEL: I certainly wouldn’t get into on-the-ground security or intelligence assessments from up here. But what I will say, Kylie, is that we have not parsed words about the Wagner group and the destabilizing force that they can be and they have been throughout the African continent.
QUESTION: And then one more question.
MR PATEL: Sure.
QUESTION: What is the State Department doing to get back the passports of citizens of Sudan who were at – which were at the U.S. embassy when you guys had to temporarily shutter the embassy? Are those efforts actively underway? Can you bring us up to speed on what’s being done to get those passports back?
MR PATEL: Are you talking about dual nationals, Kylie, or just —
QUESTION: Sudanese who were having their passport brought to the embassy to try and get visas and the like. I don’t think that they would necessarily be dual citizens, but they were trying to get visas to come —
MR PATEL: Got it. I will – I’ll have to check on that, Kylie. I don’t have an update on specific embassy operations prior to the evacuation, but I will check and see if we have an update for you on that.
QUESTION: Okay, thanks.
MR PATEL: On Sudan before we move away?
QUESTION: Yes, yes.
MR PATEL: Yeah, go ahead.
QUESTION: Yes. Just to know the State Department reaction – our readers and me personally – it’s been in the Sudan situation we have seen Iran and Saudi Arabia have barred their citizens from that area. How is the State Department looking at that cooperation?
MR PATEL: That is a – something for both of those countries to speak to. I don’t have any comment to offer. What I will say is that Saudi Arabia has played an important role in not just welcoming our American citizens but also, through the auspices of the quad, have been an important partner and interlocutor in continuing to push for the extension of the 72-hour ceasefire.
Anything else on Sudan before I move away? Dylan, on Sudan? Okay, go ahead. I want to get through all the Sudan stuff before we work the rest of the room. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Yeah, just I know you aren’t giving us specific numbers necessarily, but do you have confidence that you have a ballpark number of how many Americans are still in the country and want to get out? And I only ask because the Secretary said a week ago – he used the term “dozens of Americans” had expressed interest in leaving, and obviously dozens strays a lot from ending up having a thousand citizens plus these convoys of hundreds more leaving. So do you have a ballpark idea of how many Americans still want to get out, how many are there?
MR PATEL: Dylan, I’m not going to get more prescriptive than the numbers that I’ve already stated. This is a very fluid and dynamic situation. What I will remind you – and I’ve said this over the course of last week – is that there is not a snapshot time in moment where every American citizen in Sudan decides that the time is appropriate for them to leave. They are making the best judgment and assessment based on what makes sense for them and their family unit. And so we have sought to offer you all as much information in those processes as we can.
All right, moving away. Alex, go ahead.
QUESTION: Happy Monday.
MR PATEL: Happy Monday.
[]QUESTION: Moving to a D.C. ministerial, today Secretary met with Azerbaijan-Armenian foreign ministers. I think you saw it. We were told by senior officials that discussions have already been successful. Can you please help us unpack that little bit? Was there anything that happened today that help you shape your expectations of how things are going to look like in the days ahead?
MR PATEL: Alex, I certainly am not going to be one to get ahead of the process. But since you’ve given me the opportunity, what I do want to say is that the U.S. is pleased to be hosting Foreign Minister Mirzoyan of Armenia and Foreign Minister Bayramov of Azerbaijan to facilitate negotiations this week as they work together to pursue a peaceful future for the South Caucasus region.
Secretary Blinken was honored to welcome the foreign ministers at a dinner yesterday and attend the opening plenary session this morning at the George P. Shultz National Affairs Foreign Affairs Training Center. You know this, Alex; you’ve covered this issue for a long time: The Secretary believes that direct dialogue is key to resolving issues and reaching a lasting peace. This is something that he’s been deeply engaged on. It’s something that Senior Coordinator Bono has been deeply engaged on as well. And it’s something that we will continue to pay close attention to.
And we – look, we believe that there is a – that peace is possible between these two countries, and we are glad to be welcoming them.
QUESTION: I’m sorry for jumping the gun. I know this is going to continue for a couple more days. But how does the success look like, to your understanding?
MR PATEL: Alex, the – ultimately, the way for it to be prescriptive is up for these two countries to decide. Ultimately, what we believe is that peace is possible in the South Caucasus. We look – that’s what we’re looking for, peace and stability between these two countries in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.