Operation Sagittaire

Operation Sagittaire
Type	Non-combatant evacuation operation
Location	Sudan
Planned by	France
Date	22–28 April 2023
Executed by	French Air and Space Force French Navy Special Operations Command (France) French forces in Djibouti French Armed Forces Health Service GIGN Crisis and support center (France) [fr]
Outcome	1017 civilians from 84 countries evacuated (225 French)
Casualties	1 French special forces soldier injured

Operation Sagittaire was a French non-combatant evacuation operation from 22 to 28 April in Sudan.

Background

Main article: Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

On 15 April 2023, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces lead by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo attempted to overthrow the junta Sudanese Armed Forces of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Heavy fighting broke out in Khartoum and other cities.

Other countries also decided to evacuate their civilians.

Order of battle

The Crisis and support center [fr] and Chief of the Defence Staff commanded the operation. Hundreds of French soldiers were mobilized from the Special Operations Command, GIGN, Crisis and support center, French forces in Djibouti, 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment. These included escort, logistics, and medical branches. The European Air Transport Command was also involved.[1]

Evacuees would be transported by French Air and Space Force aircraft and a French Navy frigate,[1] and assemble at Wadi Seidna Air Base.[2]

Operation

Evacuation by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism

Evacuation by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Armed Forces

From 17 April, following the worsening security situation, France started planning an evacuation. The options were air and the 800+ km Khartoum – Port Sudan road. The air option was chosen after general Burhan authorized the use of Wadi Seidna Air Base,[3] near Khartoum.[4]

Air

The operation started on 18 April with the stationing in Djibouti of three A400Ms, one C130H, a refueling A330 MRTT, 30 tonnes of equipment, vehicles, et 150 soldiers.[5] Chad and Metropolitan France were on alert, two A330s being mobilized.[6][7]

On the night of 22–23 April, the operation officially started when the special forces C130H took off, followed by three A400Ms to Wadi Seidna.[8] The next night, two planes returned to Djibouti with about 200 civilians, including European Union diplomats.[9][10] On 24 April, five A400M and two C130H flights evacuated about 300 more, ending the air phase.[11][12] Command of the air base was left to Germany.[13]

On the night of 27–28 April, a C130 and two A400Ms left Djibouti with 32 soldiers to secure El Fasher Airport and evacuate around 100 non-governmental organization staff.[14][15]

Land and sea

About ten buses ran from asssembly points to Wadi Seidna.[16] On 23 April, the French embassy [fr] – Khartoum convoy came under fire, both warring parties blaming each other. In the morning, a French special forces soldier was injured by a shot in the abdomen,[17][18] before being stabilized by two Armed Forces Health Service surgeons deployed the day prior.[3][13]

On 25 April, French frigate Lorraine, during long-term Red Sea deployment before active service, as requested by France and the United Nations, took hundreds of UN employees and their families from Port Sudan to Saudi Arabia.[19][20] On 26 April, Lorraine arrived in Djeddah with 398 people, ending the naval phase.[21]

Result

Operation Sagittaire occurred in two phases:

• The air phase from 22 to 24 April evacuated 538 (209 French) across 9 flights between Djibouti and Khartoum.[18][22] Another flight between Darfur and Chad evacuated about 100 UN and NGO staff.[14]
• The naval phase from 25 to 26 April evacuated 398 (5 French) between Port Sudan and Jeddah.[23]

In total, strategically deployed forces[24] evacuated 1017 civilians from 84 countries (225 French).[15] About 40 countries thanked France for evacuating their diplomatic staff and citizens.[3]

References

1. "publication France diplomatie". 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
2. Gros-Verheyde, Nicolas (23 April 2023). "Comment l'opération française d'évacuation du Soudan a été préparée ? Son bilan". B2 Le Blog de l'Europe géopolitique (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
3. François Clemenceau (30 April 2023). "Conflit au Soudan : comment la France a évacué ses ressortissants". lejdd.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 April 2023.
4. "Au Soudan, les diplomates et les ressortissants étrangers évacuent dans le chaos Khartoum, livrée à la guerre des généraux". Le Monde.fr (in French). 24 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
5. Marine nationale (27 April 2023). "Opération SAGITTAIRE : évacuation de ressortissants du Soudan". www.defense.gouv.fr. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
6. Philippe Chapleau (23 April 2023). "L'opération française Sagittaire est en cours au Soudan". lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 23 April 2023.
7. "Près de 400 ressortissants évacués grâce à l'opération Sagittaire". FOB - Forces Operations Blog (in French). 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
8. Sophie Pedder (3 May 2023). "How France led the evacuation of foreigners from Khartoum". The Economist. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
9. Salomé Robles (23 April 2023). BFMTV (ed.). "Affrontements au Soudan: comment se déroule l'évacuation des ressortissants français" (in French). Retrieved 23 April 2023.
10. "Soudan : la France évacue ses ressortissants, une opération d'une « extrême complexité »". Le Monde.fr (in French). 23 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
11. "Soudan : un troisième avion français atterrit à Djibouti, 388 personnes évacuées". Le Parisien. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
12. CHAPLEAU, Philippe (25 April 2023). "Soudan : la France a fini ses évacuations". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 25 April 2023.
13. Ministère des Armées (12 May 2023). "Point presse du 11/05 : opération "Sagittaire"" (vidéo). youtube.com (in French). Retrieved 13 May 2023.
14. "La France a évacué plus de 1.000 personnes du Soudan". Reuters. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
15. Commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées (21 July 2023). "Compte rendu n° 91 - Audition du vice-amiral d'escadre Nicolas Vaujour sur le retour d'expérience de l'opération Sagittaire". Assemblée nationale (in French). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
16. Lamigeon, Vincent (25 April 2023). "Opération Sagittaire: comment l'armée française a évacué 500 civils du Soudan". Challenges (in French). Retrieved 25 April 2023.
17. Lagneau, Laurent (25 April 2023). "Soudan : L'Élysée confirme la blessure d'un commando des forces spéciales lors de l'opération Sagittaire". Zone Militaire (in French). Retrieved 25 April 2023.
18. "Soudan : 538 personnes évacuées par le Quai d'Orsay, le Français blessé à Khartoum est un soldat, selon M. Macron". Le Monde.fr (in French). 25 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
19. Defranoux, Laurence (25 April 2023). "Au Soudan, l'«opération Sagittaire» française, planche de salut internationale". Libération (in French). Retrieved 25 April 2023.
20. RFI, ed. (24 April 2023). "Soudan: premier bilan de l'opération d'évacuation de la France" (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
21. Gregory Bustori (27 April 2023). "Une frégate venant de Toulon participe aux évacuations des ressortissants étrangers du Soudan". France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (in French). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
22. Olivier Tallès (25 April 2023). "Au Soudan, une opération française d'évacuation d'une « extrême complexité »". La Croix (in French). ISSN 0242-6056. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
23. "Une frégate toulonnaise joue un rôle majeur dans le cadre des évacuations de ressortissants au Soudan". Var-Matin (in French). 26 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
24. Mériadec Raffray (26 April 2023). "Opération Sagittaire au Soudan : le coup de maître des armées françaises". Valeurs actuelles (in French). Retrieved 29 April 2023.