As the violent struggle for power over Sudan reaches the one-week mark, the Biden administration is sticking firmly to its warning for private citizens: don’t expect to be rescued.While the administration says it is working towards evacuating American embassy staff still stranded in the country, it makes no promises about other Americans who could get let behind.

The British government said it had launched a large-scale evacuation of its citizens from Sudan on Tuesday, after the North African country’s warring factions agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.Britain said military flights would depart from an airfield outside Khartoum, and would be open to those with British passports. Priority will be given to family groups with children, the elderly and individuals with medical conditions.“The government has begun a large-scale evacuation of British passport holders from Sudan on RAF flights,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Twitter. “I pay tribute to the British Armed Forces, diplomats and Border Force staff.”

While the Biden administration is standing by its warning that Americans in Sudan should not expect a mass evacuation, during a White House briefing on Monday national security adviser Jake Sullivan said it wasn’t completely off the table.“There’s certainly a willingness to take steps to help Americans be able to get out of the country,” he said. “The president has asked for every conceivable option to be able to help Americans.”

Sullivan noted that conditions in the country would have to be deemed secure enough to carry out a larger operation before one could take place.