Sudan mass-evacuation begins in frantic bid to bring Britons home
Evacuation flights from Sudan will begin in hours
Reuters/PA
A mass evacuation of Britons in Sudan is underway, as ministers scramble to bring UK nationals home before fighting resumes.
Last night a three-day ceasefire was agreed in the northeast African country, providing relative safety for the military flights to take place.
It comes after have been building for months between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced the evacuation will begin today with the first RAF fight having already left the country.
Britons will be flown to a UK military base in Cyprus
Reuters
At least 2,000 British civilians are thought to be stuck in the country.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The Government has begun a large-scale evacuation of British passport holders from Sudan on RAF flights.
“Priority will be given to the most vulnerable, including families with children and the elderly.
“I pay tribute to the British armed forces, diplomats and Border Force staff carrying out this complex operation.”
RAF flights leaving an airfield outside the capital, Khartoum, will open to British passport holders, with priority being given to the most vulnerable.
Only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are being told they are eligible.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly added: “The UK Government is co-ordinating an evacuation of British nationals from Sudan.
“We have started contacting nationals directly and providing routes for departure out of the country.”
A three day cease-fire has been brokered in the war torn country
Reuters
The Foreign Office said other exit routes are being considered, with two British military ships – RFA Cardigan Bay and HMS Lancaster – being lined up for possible evacuations.
A team of British troops is understood to have flown into Port Sudan to check out the options.
The Foreign Office stressed that “senior diplomats” will be supporting the evacuations, after it emerged that British Ambassador to Sudan Giles Lever and his deputy were out of the country when violence broke out in Khartoum.
Ministers have been under pressure to get the evacuations under way after a rescue mission of British diplomats was completed over the weekend. European allies have already removed hundreds of citizens.