UK's first evacuation flight leaves Sudan

British passport holders will leave from Khartoum on a priority basis

People board a bus leaving Khartoum as battles between military factions rage in the city. AFP

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The UK on Tuesday began the evacuation of British nationals trapped in Sudan.

The first flight has left Sudan and two more are expected overnight, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

People were being processed at the Wadi Saeedna airfield near Khartoum.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said 120 British troops were supporting the rescue mission.

More than 2,000 people were awaiting instructions from UK diplomats, Downing Street said.

British personnel were using an airfield in Cyprus as a staging post for the airlift.

Ministers have been under pressure to get the evacuations under way after a rescue mission of British diplomats was completed at the weekend.

European allies have already removed hundreds of citizens. Germany said its rescue flights would end for the time being after 490 people were airlifted out during five trips to Jordan.

The people rescued on German planes included 90 Canadians and 40 people from the Netherlands, the foreign ministry in Berlin said.

The UK's Foreign Office warned that the ability to carry out evacuations could change at short notice during a “volatile” 72-hour truce.

It told citizens they will have to make their own way to the airbase and not to travel there unless they are contacted directly.

A Royal Air Force C-130 transport carrier was seen on flight trackers flying from north of Khartoum to the UK's Akrotiri airfield in Cyprus. It can carry about 100 passengers at a time.

Mr Wallace told MPs on Tuesday that Royal Marines are scoping out a possible seaborne evacuation from the more “benign environment” of Port Sudan, some 800 kilometres from the capital.

British passport holders were being evacuated on a priority basis. Families with children, the elderly and people with medical conditions were due to leave first.

Sudan has been affected by widespread internet and phone network interruptions as deadly clashes between the military and paramilitary forces continue to escalate.

Internet connectivity has been partially restored, including the reconnection of state provider Sudatel, but remains intermittent.

“The government has begun a large-scale evacuation of British passport holders from Sudan on RAF flights,” Mr Sunak said.

“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.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the ceasefire made it possible to arrange the airlift of UK nationals.

“Over the last few days we have been doing extensive planning across government departments and with our international partners to take advantage of any improvement in the situation and begin the evacuation of British nationals in Sudan,” he told Sky News.

“I'm very pleased that a ceasefire has been announced by the leadership of the factions on the ground and therefore we are continuing with an evacuation plan.”

Mr Cleverly said he had spoken to the leaders of warring factions to assist the evacuation on Tuesday of British citizens from the North African country.

“I've spoken, either directly or through intermediaries, with the leaders of the factions on the ground, calling for them to allow British nationals, dual nationals and minors to be evacuated, and we will continue to push for the maintenance of this ceasefire,” he said.

“We've been working closely with our international partners, and we have facilitated the evacuation of a number of British nationals already.”

Around 1,400 military personnel are believed to be involved in the evacuation effort.

The plan involves similar aircraft to those used to rescue diplomats from Sudan — A400M and C-130 Hercules transport planes — with flights taking place from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

The Foreign Office said exit routes were being considered, with two British military ships — RFA Cardigan Bay and HMS Lancaster — being prepared.

A team of British troops is understood to have flown to Port Sudan to check out the options.

It comes as:

• France has evacuated 538 people, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday
• Switzerland said it is monitoring opportunities to evacuate its remaining citizens but admitted that it may not be possible to get those out who also have Sudanese nationality. Roughly 100 Swiss remain in the country
• Around 50 Irish citizens and family members have also been evacuated so far, with an estimated 100 remaining
• Ukraine rescued 138 civilians, including its own nationals and citizens of Georgia and Peru, who were trapped by fighting, Ukraine's military intelligence said on Tuesday
• Two buses evacuating South African nationals arrived safely at the border with Egypt. Officials said earlier this week that 77 South African nationals were stuck

'Precarious'

The UK's former ambassador to the country warned that the situation in Sudan is “precarious”.

“The security situation can change very quickly. The command and control over forces isn't complete,” Sir Nicholas Kay told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

“There is no trust between the two sides and things might kick off again.

“The geography of Khartoum makes it also very difficult, and this is one of the challenges throughout. The river Nile joins, Blue Nile and White Nile, in the centre of Khartoum.

“So there's a lot of bridges that need to be crossed to get around the city, and each of those bridges is controlled by one of the armed groups. So moving around Khartoum can be challenging.”

A British doctor referred to only as Dr Osman, who has been in Khartoum for the past week visiting family, told the Today programme he was making his own way out of the country and was attempting to reach Port Sudan.

“There were bombs falling all around me,” he said. “Within 800 metres of my house we have had six houses bombed.

“It was the scariest thing ever. But I had no choice.”

The journey to the airhead would be dangerous, he said.

“The journey is very very difficult to make. All the bridges are shut,” he said.

“You somehow either go around Khartoum, and the word on the street is that it is controlled by the RSF. There’s bombing.

“It’s a very dangerous trip. It’s not a very easy or safe passage to get there. I don’t know what happened with the other nationalities, how they got there.

“But for me it would have been a very dangerous trip and still is I think, unless you have some sort of safe passage.”

Gen Sir Richard Barrons, former commander of Joint Forces Command, told the BBC a ceasefire will make it easier and safer for people to reach the airhead, which is in a secure area controlled by government troops.

“There will likely be some British citizens who feel they can get to the airfield and who will take the risk,” he said.

“But then of course there will be people who are not British citizens who might feel that they can try to join the exodus but they are not entitled.

“And then there will be some others who are British citizens who feel they can’t get themselves to the airfield. And the big dilemma then is, do you go and get them?

“That is a logistical challenge and involves putting resources on the ground that can look after themselves. It will take longer and always provokes the chance of there being a fight or encounter along the way.

“If people can get themselves to the airfield and the airfield can operate, this ought to be reasonably straightforward.”

The evacuation is being supported by senior diplomats from the Foreign Office.

“The safety of all British nationals in Sudan continues to be our utmost priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice,” the UK government said.

“The situation remains volatile and our ability to conduct evacuations could change at short notice.”

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“We are working with international partners to arrange this departure and thank them for their co-operation. We are also working on other potential options for helping British nationals leave Sudan, including from other points of exit.

“The UK government has updated its travel advice to reflect the provision of these flights. The situation in Sudan continues to be volatile.”

Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell said about 4,000 Britons with dual nationality and 400 with UK-only passports were in Sudan, while 2,000 people had registered with the Foreign Office seeking help to get out.