In Sudan, where ten days of urban fighting have resulted in hundreds of deaths, Britain announced on Tuesday that it had begun “a large-scale evacuation” of British residents.
It comes after accusations in the UK that the government had abandoned British nationals there and after a 72-hour ceasefire between Sudan’s warring generals that was mediated by the United States formally went into force.Following analogies to the haphazard evacuation of Britons after the Taliban in Afghanistan took control of Kabul in 2021, Britain came under pressure to take action.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that “the government has started a large-scale evacuation of British passport holders from Sudan on RAF (Royal Air Force) flights.”
“Priority will be given to the most vulnerable, including families with children and the elderly.”
Sunak paid tribute to Britain’s armed forces, diplomats and others involved in what he called a “complex operation”.
“The UK will continue to work to end the bloodshed in Sudan and support a democratic government,” he added.
Britain carried out a military operation Sunday to withdraw its diplomats as deadly battles raged in the capital Khartoum.
But citing the dangers on the ground, it had held off on extracting its citizens more widely despite Western allies evacuating hundreds of their own passport holders.
Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell said Monday that some 4,000 Britons with dual nationality and 400 with UK-only passports were in Sudan, while 2,000 people had registered with the ministry seeking help to get out.
A Foreign Office statement announcing the new evacuations said the UK military flights were due to depart from an airfield outside Khartoum.
It said UK citizens should “not make their way to the airfield unless they are called”.
“The situation remains volatile and our ability to conduct evacuations could change at short notice,” it added.