Sudan crisis: UK citizens begin to be evacuated from Sudan amid fragile truce

The first British military flights evacuating UK nationals from Sudan after a 72-hour ceasefire was agreed have left for Cyprus.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly announced that an evacuation would begin on Tuesday after ministers came under pressure to help at least 2,000 citizens flee fierce fighting. He warned Sudan remained in a "dangerous, volatile and unpredictable" state even amid the ceasefire.

A Royal Airforce plane believed to be part of the evacuation efforts has left an airfield outside Sudan’s capital Khartoum and is heading to the RAF Akrotiri military base in Cyprus, according to a plane tracking website. It arrived in Sudan from a military base in Cyprus earlier this morning.

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The RAF aircraft is a Lockheed C-130J Hercules – a plane that can be used in airlift missions, which can hold around 100 people.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken announced a three-day ceasefire in Sudan had been brokered between the two opposing sides, the nation's regular army and paramilitary force the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). More than 420 people are believed to have been killed so far in the conflict.

British officials said evacuation priority was being given to the most vulnerable. One estimate has claimed up to 4,000 UK citizens could be stranded in the conflict-hit nation. Infrastructure in the country has been severely damaged, leading to limited access to clean water and the internet.

The operation was seizing on the time bought by the announcement of the ceasefire agreed by the two rival generals in Sudan to begin evacuations. Diplomats and their families were evacuated at the weekend, amid fears of a specific threat to embassy staff.

Mr Cleverly warned the pause was fragile after speaking directly or through intermediaries with faction leaders as he called for them to allow British nationals to be evacuated.

People evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said the UK is contacting British nationals directly with routes for an evacuation out of Sudan.

 (Photo by KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images)People evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said the UK is contacting British nationals directly with routes for an evacuation out of Sudan.

 (Photo by KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images)
People evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said the UK is contacting British nationals directly with routes for an evacuation out of Sudan. (Photo by KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images)

"It is important to remember that ceasefires have been announced and have fallen apart in the past so the situation remains dangerous, volatile and unpredictable," he said. "It is impossible to predict how long the ceasefire will last. It is impossible to predict how long any other route to evacuation will remain open."

He defended the Government from suggestions it should have carried out evacuations of citizens sooner, as European allies had succeeded in doing. "The circumstances for each individual nation are different,” he said. “There are considerably more British nationals in Sudan than other countries have got.”

Meanwhile, the European Union has evacuated more than 1,000 people, with France helping around 36 Irish citizens to safety. Ireland does not have the capacity to mount its own airlift operations and has been reliant on fellow EU states for assistance in the evacuation operation.

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France’s ambassador to Ireland, Vincent Guerend, said the French had taken responsibility for securing an airport in recent days to facilitate the airlifts – a task he said was due to be taken on by Germany on Tuesday.

The Foreign Office told citizens not to travel to the airfield unless they are contacted and warned the ability to carry out evacuations could change at short notice during the “volatile” truce.

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.”

He said Britain would work to “end the bloodshed” in Sudan and support a democratic government.

Families with children or elderly relatives, or individuals with medical conditions, will be prioritised for the flights. Only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance were being told they are eligible.

Nationals have been warned all travel within Sudan is “conducted at your own risk”. 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. A social activist from Khartoum, Hala Alkarib, said in a BBC interview that it is very dangerous on the streets of Khartoum, despite the ceasefire.

"It's not holding a hundred percent as usual,” he said. “The level of insecurity on the streets is massive. So, even if there is a ceasefire people cannot access any type of humanitarian service.

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"We are surrounded by child soldiers who are carrying guns, everywhere these soldiers are occupying the streets and it's extremely scary for civilians."

Sir Nicholas Kay, a former British ambassador to Sudan, warned the situation during the ceasefire remained “precarious”. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The security situation can change very quickly, the command and control over forces isn’t complete and there is no trust between the two sides so they might kick off again.”

The former diplomat warned moving around Khartoum could be “very difficult”, with the bridges crossing the Blue and White Nile rivers being controlled by the armed groups.

The South Sudanese government says about 9,000 people have crossed its border since the conflict began. The region has faced a number of difficult situations in recent years, from a civil war in Ethiopia; hunger, flooding and ethnic fighting in South Sudan; and a coup in Chad.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said it was scaling up to assist people seeking safety in countries neighbouring Sudan. UNHCR representative in Chad, Laura Lo Castro said: “All UNHCR operations in Sudan’s neighbouring countries impacted by this new emergency already have existing large refugee and IDP populations and are also severely underfunded. Urgent support is needed to ensure timely assistance is provided to those fleeing hostilities.”

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