British People Evacuation Begins on a Large Scale by UK Government in Sudan
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UK Evacuation Flights Begin as 72-hour Ceasefire Allows Britons to Leave War-Torn Sudan
Downing Street has confirmed that the UK’s first evacuation flight carrying British nationals has left Sudan. Additional flights are expected overnight to help hundreds of people leave the war-torn country during a 72-hour ceasefire.
The UK government has prioritized families with children, older people, and individuals with medical conditions on Royal Air Force flights departing from an airfield near the capital city of Khartoum. Those eligible for evacuation have been advised to go to the airport without an escort.
The situation is fast-moving, but the first flight is expected to arrive in Cyprus before transporting individuals back to the UK. Since fighting broke out on April 15th, at least 459 people have been killed in Sudan.
The UK has been under increasing pressure to help evacuate its citizens. Approximately 4,000 UK citizens are believed to be in Sudan, with 2,000 requesting help. Only British passport holders and their immediate family with existing UK entry clearance are eligible for evacuation.
Initially, the Foreign Office advised people not to travel to the evacuation site until told to do so. However, updated advice has urged evacuees to make their way to the Wadi Saeedna airfield, north of Khartoum, as soon as possible, warning that travel within Sudan is conducted at their own risk.
An RAF plane took off from the airfield earlier on Tuesday afternoon, although it was not carrying civilians and was instead focused on security. Germany, which has been running operations at the airfield, will end its evacuation later on Tuesday after airlifting around 500 people. UK defense secretary Ben Wallace told a Commons committee earlier today that 120 British troops were involved and “stand prepared to take over” from the Germans when they leave the site.
UK government to begin evacuating British people from Sudan where fierce fighting has left thousands stuck https://t.co/tkO6aMK3PK
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) April 25, 2023
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the government could not escort people to the airfield, and British nationals would need to “make their way there.” He said he had contacted the military leaders in Sudan, but it was impossible to predict how long the evacuation window would remain open.
The UK would maintain the airhead for “as long as we can,” and the government worked quickly to get people out. The situation in Sudan remained “dangerous, volatile, and unpredictable.”
Many British nationals have been stuck indoors with low food and drink and no electricity or wifi. Several have expressed anger and desperation at being left behind while other foreign nationals and embassy staff were flown out.
On Sunday, the UK airlifted diplomats and their families out of Sudan in a military operation. Sir Nicholas Kay, a former UK ambassador to Sudan, said the situation in Khartoum was precarious. The security situation could change rapidly due to a lack of trust between the two sides in the conflict.
