No decision yet has been made to evacuate American diplomatic personnel from Sudan but the United States is preparing for such an eventuality if it becomes necessary, the White House said on Friday.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said that for all American citizens in Sudan, they must "make their own arrangements to stay safe" as violence rocks the country.
He said President Joe Biden had approved a plan earlier this week to move U.S. forces nearby in case t hey are needed to help evacuate American diplomats.
An estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens are registered with the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum as being in Sudan. The State Department has cautioned that that figure probably is inaccurate because there is no requirement for Americans to register nor is there a requirement to notify the embassy when they leave.
The US on Friday confirmed the death of a US national in Sudan as warring generals seek to claim control of the North African country in fighting that has drawn international condemnation.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said an "American citizen and tragically was killed" in the fighting. He did not identify the individual, but voiced condolences to their family.
"We are simply pre-positioning some additional capabilities nearby in case that they're needed. But I want to stress again ... there's been no decision to move forward with any kind of an evacuation at this time," Kirby told reporters.
Kirby said the situation in the capital Khartoum remained tense and that the warring parties have been unable to stick to ceasefires that have been agreed upon.
"We're focused right now on the situation we're in. We want to get all our government personnel consolidated and safe at t he (U.S.) embassy," he said.
Some countries including Kenya, Uganda, Japan and Nigeria had said they were planning to repatriate their nationals from Sudan because of the fighting there.
