The German Armed Forces had started a secret mission to rescue 150 German citizens from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, with three A400M transport aircraft. However, they had to cancel it midway, as fighting continues around the airport.
According to information published by the German newspaper DER SPIEGEL, the Air Force (Luftwaffe) had already sent three A400M transport aircraft to Sudan early Wednesday morning. The planes had initially landed in Greece for a refueling stop, but were unable to continue on their way, as the security conditions were insufficient to ensure the success of the operation and German nationals would have been at unreasonable risk.
The rescue operation
The plan was to get the three A400Ms to Khartoum around noon and safely evacuate dozens of German diplomats, federal police officers, and other German nationals. Although fighting has raged at the airport in recent days, the runway is reportedly still intact.
In the morning, however, the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) had to abort the delicate rescue mission. At that time, renewed fighting and air strikes were reported from the capital Khartoum. Bundeswehr planners and the crisis team of the Federal Foreign Office then decided to abort the evacuation mission.
So far, no Germans have been injured by the fighting in Sudan, and the embassy in Khartoum has not been affected by the fighting either. Nevertheless, the German government wants to get Germans out of the combat zone, as an escalation of the conflict cannot be ruled out. In addition, food and water supplies are dwindling throughout the capital city, which is engulfed in a fierce urban combat.
For the time being, the A400M aircraft will return to Germany. Other nations were hoping for a brief ceasefire in Khartoum, so that their citizens could also be rescued.
The paratrooper option
According to the German newspaper, the Defense Ministry has plans ready to support a possible armed evacuation mission by deploying paratrooper units. Similar to the Afghanistan rescue mission, these units would secure the perimeter of a possible pick-up site in Sudan.
But unlike the Kabul evacuation, where security conditions only had to be negotiated with the Taliban, in Khartoum the two main antagonistic groups (the Sudanese de facto government and the Rapid Support Forces) will have to agree to silence the weapons for the duration of the rescue operation. Or impose a security zone by force, in which the German paratroopers will find themselves surrounded and greatly outnumbered.
