Over 500 British nationals evacuated from Sudan across six flights
536 British nationals have been evacuated from Sudan as one day of ceasefire remains
The first flight carrying British nationals evacuated from Sudan has landed at Stansted Airport.
The British evacuation mission from Sudan has lifted 536 people to safety over six flights as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds, the government has said.
Another RAF flight was preparing to depart the Wadi Saeedna airstrip near the capital of Khartoum on Wednesday afternoon, with a further three flights expected later in the day.
Downing Street said the flights have been “full or close to full”, with no “significant issues” being faced by the evacuees who have been told to make their own way to the airfield.
However, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said the UK “cannot guarantee” how many further evacuation flights will depart once the 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan expires on Thursday night.
More than 2,000 British nationals have registered in Sudan under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the country.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said the operation in Khartoum is “running smoothly”, while there is currently “no issue with capacity”.
The official said the “majority” of the people on the planes were British nationals but that some will be citizens of allied countries.
Appearing on ITV's Peston, Development and Africa Minister Andrew Mitchell was asked where people who were returning on aid flights from Sudan would be staying if they had no family in the UK.
Mr Mitchell said: "Many of them have relatives and relations and connections in the UK because after all they have British passports."
When Peston said some have already said they have nowhere to stay, he responded: "Well, we'll have to deal with that - that's another department that deals with that.
"But the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence are conducting what so far is proving to be a successful evacuation."
Air evacuations of British nationals from an airfield near Sudan’s capital can continue even if the fragile ceasefire breaks, military chiefs said earlier on Wednesday.
Brigadier Dan Reeve, chief of joint force operations, said the RAF can move 500 people per day on five aircrafts but that could be increased by calling on more, or larger, planes.
Brig. Reeve told journalists on a call on Wednesday: “The ceasefire itself was not a condition for us launching this operation although of course it helped and was a useful window.
“Having amassed the forces necessary to provide the prime minister with an emergency response option, very early on and ahead of almost any nation, we very deliberately took the decision to wait until there was a sensible window.
“I would say the window though is not conditional on that ceasefire holding.
Earlier today ITV News reported as more than 300 British nationals have been airlifted out of Sudan as UK troops race to get people to safety
“It won’t be me that decides when the operation finishes, that will of course be the prime minister. We are well set to continue this operation for as long as we need to.
“I can see no reason at the moment why we can’t continue to do that for as long as the Prime Minister wants us to," he added.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman earlier told ITV News: "We have a unique situation in Sudan, for historic reasons, for diplomatic reasons, we have a larger number of British people in Sudan than other countries... therefore we have to ensure our diplomats are secure, and nationals are supported."
Ms Braverman added the prime minister is leading the "incredibly intensive operation".
Suella Braverman defended the government's response to evacuating British nationals from the UK, saying it's "unfair to compare the UK to other countries"
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK would take charge of the Wadi Saeedna airstrip near the capital, from German forces, after Berlin said its final evacuation flight would leave on Tuesday night.
He said 120 British troops have already been supporting the operation there.
British nationals have been told to make their own way to the air base, with some fearing they will not make it due to a petrol shortage.
The UK military could be ready to use force to protect the site, if it comes under attack during the airlift, though troops are there primarily to help with logistics, the i paper reported.
Mr Wallace told LBC Radio: “The reason the Germans are leaving is people have stopped coming in large numbers.”
He said only one nation can facilitate the airfield at a time, adding: “If the Spanish or the Italians or anyone else wants to fly, we’ll be the ones giving permissions effectively.”
There is “some risk that some of the planes are not full,” he said, as there are “not thousands at the gate,” unlike the scenes during the evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021.
The government is considering other options, including a possible seaborne evacuation from Port Sudan, some 500 miles from the capital.
HMS Lancaster and the RFA Cardigan Bay have been sent to the region.
Help and advice
If you are in Sudan you can contact the FCDO 24/7 helpline at +44 1908 516 666
Select option 2 for consular services for British nationals.
If you’re in the UK and worried about a British person in Sudan you can call 020 7008 5000.
FCDO advises against travel to Sudan for security reasons. More information can be found on the government website.
If you have not registered your presence in Sudan, you can register here.
You should also check the travel advice for Sudan for the latest guidance.
Announcing the completion of Germany’s evacuation efforts, the country’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin would not leave civilians “to their own devices”, in an apparent swipe at the UK’s approach.
She said “unlike in other countries”, Germany’s evacuation had included all its nationals and not just embassy staff.
Mr Sunak defended the UK’s efforts, saying it was “right” that diplomats were prioritised “because they were being targeted”.
“The security situation on the ground in Sudan is complicated, it is volatile and we wanted to make sure we could put in place processes that are going to work for people, that are going to be safe and effective,” the prime minister said at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) crisis centre.
He told teams working on the evacuation efforts that “the next 24 hours are absolutely critical”.
The rescue mission was launched during a ceasefire brokered between the warring factions.
However, the series of short truces during the past week have either failed or brought only intermittent lulls in the fighting.
Aid agencies raised increasing alarm over the crumbling humanitarian situation in Sudan.
Millions of Sudanese, caught in the crossfire, have been left struggling to find food, shelter, and medical care as explosions, gunfire, and looters wreck their neighbourhoods.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the fighting could cause "immense suffering for years", putting the future of Sudan and its people at risk.
He urged Sudanese military, commanded by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the rival Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, “to silence the guns” immediately.
During the clashes, fighters seized the National Public Health Laboratory, leading to The World Health Organization warning of a “huge biological risk” on Tuesday.
Nima Saeed Abid, the World Health Organisation representative in Sudan, said this was “extremely dangerous because we have polio isolates in the lab, we have measles isolates in the lab, we have cholera isolates in the lab.”
At least 459 people, including civilians and fighters, have been killed, and over 4,000 were wounded since the violence began, according to Sudan’s Health Ministry, the UN health agency said.
The Doctors’ Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, said at least 295 civilians were killed and 1,790 others injured.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warned the extraction of UK nationals is “inherently dangerous” as “we cannot be sure for how long it will hold”.
More than 2,000 British citizens have registered in Sudan with the FCDO.
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 are being told they are eligible.
Nationals have been warned all travel within Sudan is “conducted at your own risk”.
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