US set to send additional troops to Djibouti in case of Sudan evacuation- official

The United States is preparing to send a large number of additional troops to its base in Djibouti in case of an eventual evacuation from Sudan, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declined to elaborate.

Forces commanded by two previously allied leaders of Sudan's ruling council began a violent power struggle last weekend that has so far killed more than 330 people, tipping a nation reliant on food aid into what the United Nations calls a humanitarian catastrophe.

"We are deploying additional capabilities nearby in the region for contingency purposes related to securing and potentially facilitating the departure of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan, if circumstances require it," the Pentagon said in a statement, without providing more details.