The United States has evacuated its embassy in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, due to the worsening situation in the central African country, the State Department said Monday.
"All the embassy staff has been moved out of the airport," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
"We are working very closely with the French government. Their flights have been coming and going and a number of American citizens, including the embassy personnel, have flown these flights," he said.
"We are continuing to be in contact with other American citizens who are not at the airport and we are still talking to some of them who would like to come to the airport and transit out."
The U.S. embassy, situated at downtown in N'Djamena, was reportedly hit by indirect fire during weekend clashes.
Following the evacuation of all U.S. staff members in the embassy, McCormack warned Chad's rebels not to enter the compound, which remains sovereign U.S. territory.
"We plan to make it very clear that it is U.S. government territorial soil and that the embassy compound, if it has been entered, should immediately be exited and certainly they should not attempt to enter the chancery or the embassy," he said.
The heavy fighting broke out last Friday near N'Djamena between government security forces and some 2,000 armed rebels.
Thousands of civilians fled N'Djamena on Monday after armed rebels pulled back from the city, following two days of fierce fighting in an attempt to overthrow President Idriss Deby.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article