British nationals have until midday to reach Sudan airfield before final evacuation flight leaves
British nationals still in Sudan have been urged to rush to an airbase as flights won't be taking off after Saturday, as Rageh Omaar reports
Evacuation flights from Sudan will end on Saturday - with any remaining British nationals told to travel to the airfield by midday to make it on the final plane.
The last flight will leave on Saturday at 6pm, with more flights expected to take off until then, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said.
He added rescue operations would cease following a “significant decline” in the number of British nationals coming forward to flee the war-torn country.
Some 1,573 people on 13 flights have been evacuated from the Wadi Saeedna airfield near the capital of Khartoum but thousands more UK passport holders may remain.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said the last flight will leave at 6pm on Saturday
On Friday, over 1,500 people have been airlifted to safety on flights arriving at Stansted, Manchester, and Glasgow airports.
The vast majority of those evacuated are British nationals and their dependents.
"We've been clear that if you are a British national - if you have a British passport - we will help you leave, but the numbers of those coming forward has decreased," he added.
He spoke amid criticism of the pace of the British evacuation, which was bought more time after a three-day extension to the ceasefire between warring generals was agreed on Thursday.
Asked whether Britain was effectively "abandoning" people struggling to get to the site or to coordinate with family members stuck in the country, he said: “I wouldn’t accept that characterisation.
"The first thing I would say is that every single British national that has come forward and their eligible dependants have been put safely on to a plane."
When asked if the government is abandoning British citizens, Mr Dowden said: "We have been very clear that this would be a time-limited operation, we gave a very clear signal 24 hours ago."
He claimed “consular assistance” will remain available at exit routes after the end of evacuation flights.
The British evacuation mission was nearly brought to an end on Thursday night, when a 72-hour ceasefire, brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia, was set to finish at midnight local time (11pm BST).
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had said it would be “impossible” to continue the rescue effort if fighting went ahead.
But a three-day extension of the truce meant flights, which were scheduled to continue regardless of the potentially intensifying clashes, were able to run without the added pressure.
The renewed ceasefire is due to end at midnight Sudan time (11pm BST) on 30 April, at which point violence could escalate.
Mr Cleverly said: “The UK calls for its full implementation by the generals."
"British evacuation flights are ongoing.
"I urge all British nationals wishing to leave to proceed to the airport as quickly as possible to ensure their safety.
"Britain had been urging the rival generals to extend the ceasefire, which should help stave off a feared humanitarian crisis in Africa’s third largest country."
More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans but the true number of citizens there could be far higher
Among those who were not being evacuated from Sudan by the UK government were some of the 74 NHS doctors who are stuck in the war-torn country.
Most people who have a UK residency visa - meaning they have permission to live and work in the country but are not citizens - will not be flown out of Sudan as part of the RAF airlift.
The UK visa holders would have to find their own way out of Sudan "via other exit points" without government help, an official said.
A UK government spokesperson said: “Those who have UK visas but are not the dependent of a British passport holder can still come to the UK via other exit points, such as through crossing the border with Egypt.
“We continue to keep this under close review and recognise that there will be many people facing very challenging circumstances and decisions.”
Downing Street has so far rejected calls to widen the eligibility for evacuation beyond British passport holders and their immediate family.
Concerns have been raised that the current approach could see families split up or some members left behind, with Labour calling on ministers to use the longer window to extend eligibility for evacuation before it is “too late”.
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.
Earlier on Thursday, Africa Minister Andrew Mitchell warned that an end to the now-extended ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.
"It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured,” he told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House.
"If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable.”
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