First evacuations of foreign nationals stuck in Sudan announced

The Saudi foreign ministry said "several nationals of brotherly and friendly countries" were being evacuated along with the Saudi citizens. Kuwaiti citizens are among the dozens of people brought to safety but it is not clear which other nationals are involved.

The announcement came after both the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF} said they were ready to help evacuate foreign nationals.

Fierce fighting broke out in Sudan last Saturday between the SAF, commanded by Sudan's military leader General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The two are former allies but tensions between them arose during negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country's military as part of plans to restore civilian rule.

More than 420 people have been killed and 3,700 injured in the fighting, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and on the ground the humanitarian situation is worsening.

The UN says people are increasingly fleeing areas hit by fighting, including Khartoum. Up to 20,000 refugees have arrived in neighboring Chad, the UN says.

On Saturday, fresh clashes between the two groups shattered a three-day ceasefire declared for the Muslim holiday of Eid.

Fighting was reported in Khartoum on Saturday, with witnesses telling CNN fierce clashes were taking place in the vicinity of the presidential palace and the sounds of explosions and warplanes flying overhead could be heard.

Dagalo said he spoke to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Saturday and they discussed "the current situation, the reasons [that] led to the exacerbation of the situation" and the possibility of opening evacuation corridors.

Also on Saturday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.

CNN has learned that a British evacuation efforts of will not be happening imminently, but a government spokesperson told CNN they were doing "everything possible" to support British nationals.

A spokesperson for the European Union said that estimated 1,500 citizens from various EU countries are currently in Sudan.

"They are facing a very difficult situation and their safety is a priority. We urge both sides (the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces) to stop fighting and allow for safe passage out of the country," the spokesperson said, adding the EU was working with member states to find solutions and get these people out of the country.

It is unclear how many US citizens are in Sudan. The State Department does not keep official counts of US citizens in foreign countries and Americans are not required to register when they go abroad. US State Department officials told staffers estimated 16,000 American citizens in Sudan, most of whom are dual nationals.

A US State Department spokesperson told CNN that the department remains in close contact with its embassy in Khartoum and have "have full accountability of our personnel."

"For their safety, I cannot discuss the details of their movements or whereabouts," the spokesperson added.

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