France and Turkey announced early Sunday the start of urgent operations to evacuate employees and nationals of the two countries amid ongoing fierce battles in Khartoum and various parts of Sudan.

Italy also announced that it is coordinating with other countries to help evacuate its nationals from Sudan.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced that U.S. forces carried out an evacuation operation for American government officials and their families from Sudan.

Biden said he is proud of the embassy staff's commitment, thanking Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia for playing a vital role in the success of the operation.

Meanwhile, John Bass, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Management, denied any coordination between the State Department and the Rapid Support Forces, saying "the operation was carried out by the Department of Defense only."

Biden confirmed in his statement that the U.S. embassy in Khartoum has been closed, saying: "We are temporarily suspending the work of the American embassy in Sudan."

Many countries, including Britain and countries in the European Union, are seeking to evacuate their diplomats and other nationals from Sudan.

This comes as the fighting intensifies in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces and the regular army.

Khartoum airport has been repeatedly subjected to attacks by bombing and gunfire, making evacuation operations by plane impossible.

Media sources quoted a U.S. official saying Biden ordered the evacuation of American nationals on Saturday based on recommendations from his National Security team who saw no apparent end to the ongoing fighting.

Injury of an Egyptian diplomat

A member of the Egyptian diplomatic mission was injured by gunfire due to the clashes in Sudan, while the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum continues its efforts to evacuate stranded Egyptian nationals there.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a briefing to the press at the ministry on Sunday morning that a member of the Egyptian embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum was shot during the clashes.

Abu Zeid did not provide any additional details about the incident but stressed the need to exercise the utmost caution to preserve the safety of Egyptian nationals and members of the Egyptian diplomatic missions in Sudan.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry had called on Saturday for citizens outside Khartoum city in Sudan to head to the designated points in preparation for their evacuation by the competent Egyptian authorities.

A statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry identified two gathering points for Egyptian nationals in Sudan in preparation for their evacuation: the premises of the Egyptian consulate in Port Sudan in the Red Sea State, and the consular office in Wadi Halfa in the Northern State.

Exchange of accusations over targeting diplomats

Clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces renewed in several areas in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, today Sunday.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to the BBC said that army aircraft bombed Rapid Support Forces military positions in the Kafouri area in Khartoum Bahri.

Severe clashes took place using heavy weapons between the two parties in several areas in the cities of Khartoum and Omdurman.

The Rapid Support Forces accused the Sudanese army’s air force of targeting its forces while evacuating French nationals on Sunday.

The Rapid Support Forces said in a statement that its forces were attacked Sunday morning by army aviation during the evacuation of French nationals from their embassy passing through Bahri to Omdurman, endangering their lives and injuring one of them.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese army accused the Rapid Support Forces of committing violations against foreign diplomatic missions, including the convoy of the Qatari embassy evacuation.

The army said the Rapid Support Forces fired on the French embassy convoy, resulting in their return and the disruption of the evacuation process, indicating that a French national was injured by a sniper bullet and that the French mission headquarters was attacked.

Saturday witnessed fierce battles in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the fiercest since the start of the bloody confrontations between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

Jeddah port received the first batches of evacuees; more than 150 people arrived - including a large number from Gulf countries as well as Egypt, Canada, and other countries - aboard a ship belonging to the Saudi Navy.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced the "safe arrival" of 91 of its nationals, along with nationals from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan said it was preparing to evacuate 300 people.

More evacuation operations for foreigners in Sudan are being planned, with the United States, South Korea, and Japan deploying forces in neighboring countries, and the European Union considering taking similar steps.