Rishi Sunak offers “many more” British citizen evacuation flights if a three-day ceasefire holds.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that the next 24 hours are “absolutely critical” for the evacuation of British nationals. As the first flight transporting British civilians out of Sudan has landed in Cyprus.
A passenger aircraft carrying approximately 40 civilians has landed at Larnaca airport, according to a spokesperson for Cyprus’s foreign ministry.
After intense fighting erupted in the East African nation, approximately 4,000 British passport holders were left stranded.
Priority was given to evacuating families with children, the elderly, and those with medical conditions from an airfield near Khartoum by a Royal Air Force aircraft.
And two more flights are anticipated overnight; however, the British will have to reach the airfield on their own, navigating checkpoints and possible outbreaks of combat, as escorts are not being provided.
Africa minister Andrew Mitchell said all British nationals who want to leave must arrive at the airport before 8 p.m. Khartoum time, or 7 p.m. BST, to be processed for departure, but emphasized that they must arrive there “under their power.”
Additionally, he urged individuals to continue registering their location with the Foreign Office and stated that the government was “continuing to work on other options to assist British nationals wishing to leave Sudan, including other exit points.”
The 72-hour ceasefire that began late Monday night may not continue.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated that it was impossible to predict the duration of this opportunity.
It is believed that approximately 1,400 military personnel are involved in the British operation.
Mr. Mitchell stated that approximately 200 individuals worked “day and night” in a crisis center at the Foreign Office, with various government departments “joined at the hip.”
Earlier, the prime minister thanked the staff for their efforts and told them, “The next twenty-four hours are crucial.”
Help us make a big push to get everyone home.
The government was criticized for evacuating diplomatic personnel two days before the complete evacuation of British nationals.
Since Thursday, Mr. Sunak has presided over daily emergency meetings on the crisis, including one his minister disclosed took place at 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, and he is “pleased that we were one of the first countries to evacuate our diplomats and their families safely.”
“It was appropriate to prioritize them, as they were specifically targeted,” he explained.
Now, the security situation on the ground in Sudan is complex and volatile, and we wanted to ensure that we could put in place mechanisms that would work for the people, be safe, and be effective. We now have over 100 people on the ground in Sudan.
“The first flight carrying British nationals has already departed, we’ll have more flights this evening, and many more tomorrow. This is due to the hard work of many people, and we will continue our efforts.”
Speaking before the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Mitchell was also asked why other nations, namely France, had already evacuated their citizens and whether the United States was doing a superior job.
“No, I don’t,” he responded. “I believe everyone is approaching this differently, and we have a much larger number of citizens to eliminate.”
Approximately 4,000 British citizens are believed to be stranded in Sudan as rival military factions fight for control.
After days of pressure, British citizens were evacuated after hundreds of people died since the war began on 15 April.
Food and fuel prices have skyrocketed, electricity and the internet have been cut off in the majority of the country, and governments are scurrying to evacuate their citizens and diplomats due to the violence.
Mr. Cleverly stated that leaders of the two factions had been contacted “urging them to permit the evacuation of British nationals, dual nationals, and minors.”
Some British citizens escaped on evacuation flights operated by other nations.
On their flights, Germany, Italy, Spain, and France have already rescued hundreds of individuals from dozens of countries.
However, the Foreign Office stated that only British passport holders would be permitted to board British aircraft.
Elite military evacuated British diplomats and their families over the weekend in a dangerous nighttime mission.
At the aerodrome, senior Foreign Office officials will coordinate the evacuations.
Rival generals disagreed on integrating the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the military, causing unrest in Sudan.
In 2021, the army and RSF overthrew Omar al Bashir two years after a popular uprising.
However, their relationship deteriorated during integration and government formation negotiations.
