(NewsNation) — Sudan’s warring factions extended the ceasefire for another 72 hours, but the fighting has not stopped as civilians look for ways to evacuate.
“There is this ceasefire that’s holding, but it doesn’t mean that the warring parties are actually deciding to stop fighting. They’re just pausing it,” said Joel Rubin, former deputy assistant Secretary of State under the Obama administration.
Rubin joined “NewsNation Prime” to discuss the ongoing conflict in Sudan, saying the moment could invite a power grab.
“It’s just recovering and it had the hope of becoming a more democratic and civilian led government,” Rubin said, adding, “Right now, there is a great competition happening in Africa. Russia has been engaged. China’s been heavily engaged for the last several decades, looking for mines looking for precious metals and minerals, to try to use those for their advantage.”
Hundreds of American citizens were evacuated in the first U.S.-run evacuation Saturday, but thousands of citizens and dual citizens remain trapped.
“This idea that over 16,000 Americans would be left alone to fend for themselves in Sudan, more than two weeks after the US government evacuated its own personnel, nearly 100, as you noted just now, is deeply troubling,” said Jamil Jaffer, founder of the National Security Institute.