Sudan – live: Evacuation flights ‘potentially impossible’ when ceasefire ends, UK warns

It may be “impossible” to evacuate British citizens from Sudan once the war-torn country’s fragile ceasefire ends, the foreign secretary has warned.

James Cleverly said that the UK government could not predict what would happen once intense fighting resumed.

He urged British nationals who may be “hesitant” or “weighing up their options” to make their way to Wadi Seidna, where there were “planes and capacity” to get people out.

Fighting flared in Sudan yesterday as its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battled on Khartoum’s outskirts, undermining a truce in their 11-day conflict.

The fighting came as the army agreed to extending the ceasefire that is in force till today.

The army said last night its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, reported Reuters.

There was no immediate response from the RSF to the proposal.

Key Points

• Fighting flares as military approves ceasefire extension

• Paramilitary forces yet to respond to ceasefire proposal

• Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson discuss ending Sudan fighting

• Six UK flights evacuate 536 people from Sudan

• Sudan evacuations for Britons can continue ‘even if ceasefire breaks’

‘Potentially impossible’ to evacuate Britons once ceasefire ends - Cleverly

07:54 , Matt Mathers

It may be “impossible” to evacuate British citizens from Sudan once the war-torn country’s fragile ceasefire ends, the foreign secretary has warned.

James Cleverly said that the UK government could not predict what would happen once intense fighting resumed.

He urged British nationals who may be “hesitant” or “weighing up their options” to make their way to the extraction point, where there were “planes and capacity” to get people out.

‘Further details to come’ on safe and legal asylum routes - Cleverly

15:00 , Matt Mathers

The UK has to give general advice for how to navigate through Sudan to be evacuated because specific advice can put people in more danger, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

He told the Commons: "The travel advice that we give has to enhance the safety of British nationals overseas and not inadvertently put them at a greater risk.

"And there is often a lag - there is a lag between us finding out information, broadcasting that information, and that information acted upon, and one of the things that we have seen, not directly because of advice the UK has given, but the advice that other governments have given, is that they have inadvertently called people into more dangerous circumstances and those people have found themselves under attack, so we have to give general advice."

Addressing concerns raised over a lack of safe and legal routes for refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan, Mr Cleverly noted it is not the only conflict area in the world, and said: "Now the Illegal Migration Bill has... gone through the parliamentary stages here in the Commons, we will be, as we have promised, establishing safe and legal routes.

"That will be as part of our plan to control illegal migration, and further details will come through."

We’ll try to keep evacuating but no guarantees once ceasefire ends - foreign secretary

14:45 , Matt Mathers

The UK will “endeavour to keep evacuating people” from Sudan if the ceasefire does not hold after midnight on Thursday, the Foreign Secretary told MPs.

James Cleverly said: “However, it is almost impossible for us to predict whether there will be an extension and what the circumstances might be like if the extension does not happen.

“We will endeavour to keep evacuating people through the airhead in Wadi Seidna but we cannot guarantee our ability to do so.

“We are exploring the support to other routes, which is why we have set up a temporary presence at Port Sudan and why we have officials at the border in the neighbouring countries.”

UK ‘pushing hard’ for extension to ceasefire - foreign secretary

14:30 , Matt Mathers

The UK is "pushing hard" for an extension to the ceasefire in Sudan, the foreign secretary said, appealing directly to the generals on either side of the conflict.

James Cleverly told the Commons: "With regard to an extension of the ceasefire, we are pushing hard for that and we are amplifying the voices of those in the region, and more widely, that this is in the best interests of Sudan.

"I would say here at the despatch box for either of the generals who might be watching this statement, that if they aspire to be the leader of Sudan, demonstrating a willingness to protect the people of Sudan would be a very important starting point."

Evacuate our doctor stranded in Sudan, hospital boss urges foreign secretary

14:10 , Matt Mathers

An NHS trust boss has urged the foreign secretary to ensure one of its doctors stranded in Sudan gets home safely.

Earlier two junior doctors - who did not want to give their names over security concerns - said they had been denied places on an evacuation plane.

Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are aware that one of our well respected emergency medicine doctors is currently stuck in Sudan with his family. Colleagues at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust are all incredibly concerned for his safety.

“I have written to the secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs as well as our local MP Robin Walker to urge that they do all they can to ensure his safe return as soon as possible.”

What is happening in Sudan and why? The war and conflict explained

13:45 , Matt Mathers

Tension had been building for months between Sudan’s army and the RSF, which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup.

The friction was brought to a head by an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties. A final deal was due to be signed earlier in April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

Joe Middleton reports:

What is happening in Sudan? The crisis explained

No current plans for specific resettle scheme for Sudan - No 10

13:20 , Matt Mathers

Downing Street said there were no current plans to create a specific resettlement scheme for anyone fleeing Sudan.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said there were no plans, but that it was "something we keep under review".

He also said the UK would "obviously support any extensions to the ceasefire. It’s something we are actively lobbying for".

Evacuation eligibility requirements have not changed - Downing Street

13:10 , Matt Mathers

Downing Street said that evacuation eligibility requirements had not changed but that there was "an element of discretion" for those working on the ground in Sudan.

Only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are being told they are eligible for evacuation.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that remained the case, but added: "There is an element of discretion for people on the ground as you might expect, given the circumstances and the challenging situation people will be facing."

Asked to explain the meaning of "discretion", the spokesman said: "You should not go to the airport unless you are a British passport holder or their dependent, that is set out very clearly.

"I think what we are saying is we recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions."

Government ‘doesn’t recognise’ claims UK caused delays to Germany evacuation effort

12:50 , Matt Mathers

Downing Street said it did not recognise claims that the UK caused delays in Germany’s efforts to evacuate its citizens from Sudan with its mission to rescue British embassy staff at the weekend.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: "I don’t recognise those claims at all.

"We have been working extremely closely with our French, US and German partners.

"It is not accurate to suggest that Britain’s efforts to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan last weekend slowed down Germany’s plans."

Full report: NHS doctors denied seats on British evacuation planes left stranded in Sudan

12:17 , Matt Mathers

Two NHS doctors have been denied seats on British planes evacuating people from Sudan, leaving them stranded in the war zone just hours before its fragile ceasefire ends.

The junior doctors made the perilous journey to Wadi Saeedna airfield, where the UK government has been evacuating UK nationals, on the advice of their MP after UK citizens were urged to leave while they still can.

Tara Cobham has the full story:

NHS doctors denied seats on British evacuation planes are stranded in Sudan war zone

Fighting in Darfur mars fragile truce

11:17 , Matt Mathers

Fighting has intensified in Sudan’s war-ravaged province of Darfur during a fragile three-day truce between the country’s battling top generals, killing an estimated dozens of people, residents say.

The truce eased fighting in the country’s capital, creating a lull that has allowed foreign governments to evacuate thousands of their nationals.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese travelled to their country’s land borders with Egypt, Chad and Ethiopia, and to a port city on the country’s Red Sea.

The new clashes targeted civilians in the capital city of Genena, residents said, an area regularly roiled by outbursts of brutal tribal violence.

Locals described attacks by fighters, mostly wearing the uniforms of the country’s powerful paramilitary, on several neighbourhoods across the city early on Thursday, forcing many families to leave their homes.

"The attacks come from all directions," said Amany, a Genena resident who withheld her surname for her safety.

"All are fleeing."

Two doctors denied seats on evacuation plane

10:39 , Matt Mathers

Two NHS doctors have been denied seats on British planes evacuating Sudan, leaving them stranded in a war zone on the day the country’s fragile ceasefire comes to an end, with fears more NHS doctors could be facing the same plight, Tara Cobham reports.

Following the advice of one of their MPs, the junior doctors said they made the perilous journey to Wadi Saeedna airfield, where the British have been evacuating UK nationals during an agreed 72-hour ceasefire.

Upon arrival, Adulrahman and his fellow doctor, who are not disclosing their full names for safety reasons, said: “Even showing them that I work for the NHS, they didn’t want to talk further and they showed me the way out.” Dr Reem Taha - who is a member of the Sudanese Junior Doctors Association UK, which has a WhatsApp group of 71 Sudanese NHS doctors who have been trapped in Sudan - said there are more NHS doctors with BRPs who are making their way to the evacuation point on Friday and are “devastated” to hear the news the two had been turned away, fearful they face the same plight.

The pair, who had been visiting extended family for Eid al-Fitr, had risked their lives to travel through the night from Khartoum, which has been at the epicentre of the fighting since fierce clashes between forces loyal to the country’s two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April. Dr Taha, an NHS doctor based in South Yorkshire who has been in touch with the duo, told The Independent this highlighted how “desperate they are to be evacuated”.

She said: “You pass through at least 10 checkpoints until you get there. You have to cross a bridge that’s not safe and is a particular area of conflict. It is a dangerous journey and people try to avoid it at night. The fact that they tried to get there at night shows you how desperate they are to be evacuated.”

End of ceasefire could result in humanitarian catastrophe - minister

09:26 , Matt Mathers

Africa minister Andrew Mitchell warned that an end to the ceasefire could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.

He told the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House: "It is essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured.

"If not, the humanitarian consequences will be incalculable.

"The UK will continue to work tirelessly to help bring an end to the violence and provide vital humanitarian relief."

Cleverly avoids questions on safe and legal routes for Sudan

09:10 , Matt Mathers

James Cleverly has refused to get into details about the possibility of safe and legal routes for those fleeing Sudan to get to the UK.

The foreign secretary said: "There is war and conflict all over the world. There are literally millions upon millions of people who are in countries plagued by war. We recognise that we cannot host everybody who is in a country plagued by war.

"Sudan is not the only country suffering from conflict and so picking out Sudan because it happens to be in the news, I think, diminishes the suffering of other people around the world firstly, and, secondly, we have to remember there are millions upon millions of people who are fleeing conflict or who are fleeing economic privations."

Mapped

The map below shows Sudan’s location in North Africa. Khartoum, the capital, is where the most intense fighting is taking place.

WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks, collapse of services

08:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The World Health Organisation (WHO) expects “many more” deaths in Sudan.

The world health agency said yesterday that there could be many more deaths due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of essential services amid fighting between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, reported Reuters.

Since mid April, the ongoing fighting has killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the WHO.

Cleverly - we’re pushing for ceasefire extension

08:14 , Matt Mathers

The UK is pushing for an extension to the ceasefire in Sudan, the foreign secretary has said - Archie Mitchell reports.

Speaking to Sky News, James Cleverly said: “We pushed for the original ceasefire, we are pushing to have the ceasefire extended, we are pushing with our international partners and leaders in the region, to have a permanent peace settlement.

“But the point I’m making is I can’t guarantee any of those things. If they happen, that’s great, that’s what we’re pushing for.My worry is if people are having to make difficult decisions, and of course they are, if they are basing those decisions on a belief that this ceasefire will continue, and then it doesn’t, they put themselves in a more dangerous situation.

“So my strong advice is to err on the side of caution, take advantage of what we know, which is the ceasefire is currently holding, even though we don’t know whether it’ll hold for the full duration, rather than relying on what might not happen, which is an extension of the ceasefire, which of course we are pushing for.

ICYMI: Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these British families escaped wartorn Sudan

08:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

British families fleeing Sudan have described dodging heavy gunfire and bombing in their bids to escape the wartorn country after the Foreign Office “failed” to secure safe routes out.

Many have spent thousands to escape the country safely.

Bel Trew and Tara Cobham report:

Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these families escaped wartorn Sudan

ICYMI: Wounded British doctor’s agonising choice – risk deadly infection or leave mother in Sudan war zone

07:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

A British doctor is facing an agonising choice of either risking a deadly infection from his gunshot wound or leaving his vulnerable elderly mother to fend for herself in a war zone in Sudan.

Tara Cobham reports:

Wounded British doctor faces agonising decision in Sudan

Over 500 Britons brought to safety from Sudan with more flights to come

07:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The British evacuation mission from Sudan has lifted 536 people to safety on six flights as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said “in a fast-moving situation” these were the figures at 9pm on Wednesday “with further flights to come”.

Read more:

UK brings more than 500 people to safety from Sudan with more flights to come

Sudan evacuations can continue ‘even if ceasefire breaks’

06:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Air evacuations from Sudan can continue even if a fragile ceasefire breaks, military chiefs said yesterday, as the first flight carrying British nationals arrived back in Britain.

Brigadier Dan Reeve, Britain’s chief of joint force operations, said that up to 500 people a day can be flown out of Wadi Saeedna, an airfield just north of Khartoum, with transport planes available to increase that number if necessary.

“The ceasefire itself was not a condition for us launching this operation, although of course it helped and was a useful window,” he said.

Kim Sengupta, Rebecca Thomas and Kate Devlin report:

Sudan evacuations can continue ‘even if ceasefire breaks’

How ‘Putin’s chef’ and his Wagner Group are cashing in on Sudan

06:00 , Martha Mchardy

They’ve drawn most attention in eastern Ukraine, but it seems wherever war breaks out – from Syria to Sudan – this group of mercenaries can be found profiting from bloodshed, writes World Affairs Editor Kim Sengupta.

How ‘Putin’s chef’ and his Wagner Group are cashing in on Sudan

Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson discuss ending Sudan fighting

05:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

US secretary of state Antony Blinken and African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting in Sudan, the State Department said in a statement yesterday.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the two spoke about a “collaboration to create a sustainable cessation of hostilities and end the fighting in Sudan”.

“Secretary Blinken and chairperson Faki agreed that the AU’s continued leadership remains essential in pressing the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to immediately cease military operations and allow unhindered humanitarian access,” the statement said.

What could happen in Sudan?

05:00 , Martha Mchardy

International parties have called for a ceasefire and a return to dialogue but there has been little sign of compromise from the warring factions.

The army has branded the RSF as a rebel force and demanded its dissolution, while Hemedti has called Burhan a criminal and blamed him for visiting destruction on the country.

Though Sudan’s army has superior resources including air power and the RSF expanded into a force estimated at 100,000 men that had deployed across Khartoum and its neighbouring cities as well as in other regions, raising the spectre of protracted conflict on top of a long-running economic crisis and existing, large-scale humanitarian needs.

The RSF can also draw on support and tribal ties in the western region of Darfur, where it emerged from the militias that fought alongside government forces to crush rebels in a brutal war that escalated after 2003.

Fighting flares as military approves ceasefire extension

04:48 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Fighting flared in Sudan yesterday as Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battled on Khartoum’s outskirts, undermining a truce in their 11-day conflict.

The fighting came as the army agreed to extending the ceasefire that is in force till today.

The army late last night said its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, reported Reuters.

There was no immediate response from the RSF to the proposal from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc.

The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces.

“Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that,” the army statement said.

Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan?

04:00 , Martha Mchardy

The conflict between Sudan‘s army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered a rush to extract foreign diplomats and citizens.

Several countries have evacuated nationals by air, while some have gone via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 500 miles (800 km) by road from Khartoum.

UK

Britain is beginning a “large-scale” evacuation of its citizens, with priority given to families with children, the elderly and the infirm. Foreign minister James Cleverly said the UK is working closely with its international partners.

The government estimates there are around 4,000 Britons in Sudan. It evacuated its diplomats and their families on Saturday.

Japan

All Japanese people who wished to leave have been evacuated, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

Forty-five left on Monday night on a Japanese military flight, and eight others left with the help of France and other groups, he said.

Germany

As of Tuesday morning, a German evacuation mission had brought a total of 500 people from more than 30 countries to safety, including Belgian, British, Dutch, Jordanian and US citizens as well as Germans.

The country’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said efforts were under way to get the remaining Germans out, but did not say how many were left.

France

France has evacuated more than 500 people from Sudan, comprising more than 200 French citizens as well as Americans, Britons and others, President Emmanuel Macron told his government.

Paris has also sent a warship to Port Sudan to help pick up evacuees, two diplomatic sources said.

Italy

Italian military planes flying from Djibouti evacuated 83 Italians and 13 others overnight, including children and the Italian ambassador.

The country’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said some Italian NGO workers and missionaries had decided to stay in Sudan, while 19 others had been taken to Egypt two days ago.

Cyprus

Cyprus said on Tuesday it had activated a humanitarian rescue mechanism to allow third countries to use its facilities to evacuate foreign citizens from Sudan.

China

Most Chinese nationals have been safely evacuated in groups to neighbouring countries, China’s Foreign Ministry said.

United States of America

US forces evacuated American and some foreign diplomats on Saturday.

Washington said on Monday that several dozen Americans were travelling overland in a UN-led convoy to Port Sudan, and that dozens more had expressed an interest in leaving.

It said it was positioning naval assets to assist evacuations if necessary.

Ukraine

Kyiv said it had rescued of its 87 citizens - most of them pilots, aircraft technicians and their families - among a total of 138 civilians, who also included citizens of Georgia and Peru.

South Africa

Officials said it expected the last 12 of its nationals known to be in Sudan to have left on Tuesday.

Egypt

On Monday, Egypt said it had evacuated 436 of its nationals out of about 10,000 in neighbouring Sudan. It said one of its diplomats had been wounded by gunfire, without giving details.

About 800 Sudanese and 100 foreigners had passed through the Egyptian border with Sudan, two Egyptian security sources said, as Egypt loosened restrictions on those allowed in.

Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab states

Saudi Arabia took 91 Saudis and about 66 people from other countries out from Port Sudan by naval ship to Jeddah on Saturday.

Kuwait said all citizens wishing to return home had arrived in Jeddah.

Qatar said Saudi Arabia had helped evacuate Qatari citizens. Sudan’s army accused the RSF of attacking and looting a Qatari embassy convoy heading to Port Sudan. It was not clear if it was the same group that left for Saudi Arabia. The RSF and Qatar have not commented.

Russia

Moscow’s ambassador in Khartoum said 140 of about 300 Russians in Sudan had said they wanted to leave, but said evacuation plans could not yet be implemented because they involved crossing front lines. He said there were about 15 people, including a woman and child, stuck in a Russian Orthodox church close to heavy fighting in Khartoum.

What’s going on in Sudan?

03:00 , Martha Mchardy

Fighting has erupted in Sudan’s capital city Khartoum and other sites across the country this month as powerful rival military factions battle for control of the African nation and its future.

So far, over 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed in the conflict and over 3,700 wounded.

Tension had been building for months between Sudan’s army and the RSF, which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup.

The friction was brought to a head by an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties. A final deal was due to be signed earlier in April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.

Both the army and the RSF were required to cede power under the plan and two issues proved particularly contentious: one was the timetable for the RSF to be integrated into the regular armed forces, the second was when the army would be formally placed under civilian oversight.

When fighting broke out on 15 April, both sides blamed the other for provoking the violence. The army accused the RSF of illegal mobilisation in preceding days and the RSF, as it moved on key strategic sites in Khartoum, said the army had tried to seize full power in a plot with Bashir loyalists.

Watch: Moment plane carrying British nationals escaping Sudan lands at Stansted Airport

02:00 , Martha Mchardy

Braverman rebuked over claim Sudanese refugees can seek asylum in UK

01:00 , Martha Mchardy

Suella Braverman has been rebuked by the UN’s refugee agency for falsely claiming Sudanese asylum seekers have “various” legal ways to reach the UK.

The Home Secretary said there was “no good reason” for those fleeing Sudan to cross the English Channel in small boats and instead urged asylum seekers to contact the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

“If you are fleeing Sudan for humanitarian reasons, there are various mechanisms you can use, the UNHCR is present in the region and they are the right mechanism by which people should apply if they do want to seek asylum in the UK,” Ms Braverman said.

But the UNHCR quickly responded, saying it was “aware” of the statement and “wished to clarify” that there is “no mechanism” for refugees to seek asylum in the UK through the organisation.

“There is no asylum visa or ‘queue’ for the United Kingdom,” it said. The UNHCR added that an “overwhelming majority” of refugees have no access to safe and legal routes to the UK, noting that only a “very small” number seek asylum here.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Braverman rebuked for claim Sudanese asylum seekers have ‘various’ ways to come to UK

Britons among thousands queuing for days without food and water amid chaos at Egypt-Sudan border

Thursday 27 April 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy

A British medical student and NHS doctor with her children are among thousands stuck in chaotic scenes at Sudan’s border with Egypt, in what is rapidly deteriorating into a humanitarian crisis.

The Britons became trapped in Khartoum when ferocious fighting between Sudan’s top generals erupted and they were forced to make the treacherous journey to the border where dire conditions awaited them.

Dr Lina Badr, 42, an NHS gynaecologist based in Birmingham, and her three children have been waiting in the queue for two days. She described chaos as thousands of desperate people wait to cross into Egypt in the heat with no way of securing food or water.

Tara Cobham and Bel Trew report:

Britons among thousands queuing without food and water in chaos at Egypt-Sudan border

Father told children ‘it was like hide-and-seek’ amid gunfight near Sudan home

Wednesday 26 April 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy

A British-Sudanese father of three has said he told his children “it was like a hide-and-seek game” when his home was caught in the middle of a gunfight in Sudan.

Munzir Salman was at home in Khartoum with his three children when Sudanese armed forces soldiers were ambushed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) officers outside his block of flats.

The 37-year-old, who has dual citizenship, spoke to the PA news agency while he and his children waited to fly to the UK via Larnaca, Cyprus.

He said: “What happened was some army soldiers were coming through and they were ambushed by the RSF.

“They then ran behind my house, and they were shooting at each other, I was in the middle.

“It was horrendous and, unfortunately, it’s not the first time I’ve had gunshots around me. I’m a single father of three kids so I had to stay calm for them.

“I had to tell them it was like a game and told them it was like a hide-and-seek game.

“It was an experience they had never been through before, it was very scary but I tried to make it a game for them.

“I explained the danger before trying to make it like Tom and Jerry where the people outside were Tom and we were Jerry.”

Ben Roberts-Haslam reports:

Father told children ‘it was like hide-and-seek’ amid gunfight near Sudan home

Watch: Thousands wait for days in dire conditions at Egypt-Sudan border

Wednesday 26 April 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

Six UK flights have evacuated 536 people from Sudan

Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:48 , Martha Mchardy

Six UK flights have evacuated 536 people from war-torn Sudan, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.

British-Sudanese woman 'takes matters into her own hands' to flee Sudan

Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy

Caught up in a conflict that flared during what was meant to be a brief trip to Khartoum, British-Sudanese author Rozan Ahmed spent days calling the UK embassy for advice until she finally took matters into her own hands and boarded a bus for Egypt.

The scenes she filmed on her phone as she left give an insight into the violence sweeping through the Sudanese capital since a power struggle between the army and the RSF paramilitary group escalated into all out conflict on April 15.

The clashes have killed at least 512 people.

“I contacted the British embassy. I would say all day, every day for a week to see when we would be able to be evacuated,” she told Reuters from Cairo.

“No solid plan was given to us a week later, which is when I decided to take matters into my own hands because I ran out of water,” she said, describing cowering at home with dwindling provisions as gunfire, shelling and air strikes raged outside.

Britain, with an estimated 4,000 nationals in Sudan, began airlift evacuations on Tuesday to Cyprus. It has been criticised for lagging other European countries in flying out citizens.

Ahmed said she and others mobilised to plan their escape, after hearing some people were heading north by bus to Egypt.

“We hired a bus. There were about 50 of us,” she said.

Moving through the war zone was the most frightening part.

“On a number of occasions we drove past tanks and heavily armed humans. That just terrified us because we had heard reports of buses being stopped and robbed and people being shot... That left me truly shaken. But we didn’t have a choice.”

Although feeling absolutely petrified, externally she was remarkably composed and calm, Ahmed said.

“I suppose you know what they say - God takes the wheel.”

Her journey from Khartoum to the Egyptian border took 12 hours but then it took another day and a half to enter Egypt because of the queues.

She plans on leaving Egypt after taking a few days to recover from her ordeal.

“My heart is still in Sudan. I can’t stop thinking about the people that are stuck there, who don’t have the means to get out. I really hope and pray that evacuations are now in order. That there is support, that there is assistance.

Sudan's Burhan gives initial approval to proposed trade extension

Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:56 , Martha Mchardy

Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to the regional African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) proposal to extend a truce for 72 hours and send an army envoy to the south Sudan capital, Juba, for talks, an army statement said on Wednesday.

The proposal suggests sending both an army and Rapid Support Forces envoys to Juba to discuss the details.

Diplomat says 15 Syrians killed amid clashes in Sudan

Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:47 , Martha Mchardy

Fifteen Syrians were killed as a result of running clashes in Sudan, Sham FM, a radio and TV station, cited the chargé d’affaires of the Syrian Embassy in Sudan as saying on Wednesday.

No injuries were reported among Syrian expats, said the diplomat, adding that all members of the diplomatic missions there are alright.

Wounded British doctor’s agonising choice in Sudan

Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:30 , Martha Mchardy

A British doctor is facing an agonising choice between risking a deadly infection from his gunshot wound and leaving his vulnerable elderly mother to fend for herself in a war zone in Sudan.

The doctor, who retired recently after working in the NHS for over 30 years, was visiting his family in Khartoum for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr when fierce clashes between forces loyal to the country’s two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April.

He was shot in the leg when he “risked his life” moving his daughter and 87-year-old mother, who requires constant care, to a safer place in Khartoum.

Tara Cobham reports:

Wounded British doctor faces agonising decision in Sudan

Watch: Sunak asked if UK will provide safe route for children fleeing Sudan

Wednesday 26 April 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy

Canadian aircraft positioned for evacuations once conditions permit in Sudan - Defence minister

Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:48 , Martha Mchardy

Canada has positioned two C-130 Hercules aircraft near Sudan to evacuate Canadians from the North African country once conditions on the ground permit, defence minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday.

“There are conditions that we are monitoring very closely, one of which is the space at the airport, another is to ensure that Canadians are able to get to the airport in a secure manner,” Ms Anand told reporters in Ottawa.

Evacuees from Sudan land in Paris

Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:45 , Martha Mchardy

Some 245 evacuees from Sudan, including 195 French nationals, landed in Paris on Wednesday, expressing relief at escaping the heavy fighting and chaos.

Sudan erupted in warfare on April 15, derailing a transition to civilian rule, since when the paramilitaries have embedded themselves in residential districts and the army has sought to target them from the air.

The fighting has turned residential areas into battlefields. Air strikes and artillery have killed more than 500 people, wounded more than 4,000, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in a nation where a third of the 46 million people rely on food aid.

“The past few weeks, we felt a rise in inter-community tensions with looting, carjacks, shootings between communities,” humanitarian worker Charline Petitejean told Reuters at the Paris headquarters of her NGO Solidaritas International.

The 27-year-old had been working for three months in Sudan but arrived back in Paris Wednesday morning.

“When the decision was made to evacuate, there were so many things that needed to be done that there was no time for fear”, she said, adding that now she was in France she was worried for her Sudanese colleagues who stayed and “for the Sudanese people as the humanitarian context worsens”.

She said she would like to return to Dafur as soon as possible.

Several countries have evacuated nationals by air, while some have gone via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 800 km (500 miles) by road from Khartoum.

“I felt completely paralysed,” said 28-year-old PhD student Leila Oulkebous, another evacuee. Oulkebous was out doing thesis interviews when fighting broke out nearby.

“I didn’t know how to get out...,” she said. “I’m very, very relieved. (...) I will continue to have nightmares about it.”

Franck Haaser, cooperation councillor at the French Embassy in Sudan, was relieved that there were no deaths among those evacuated.

“We lived through a week of chaos ... it was very difficult,” he said.

“The shooting was all across the city. We didn’t directly see the shooting, but with the intensity of the fighting, there were stray bullets everywhere, broken windows in all buildings, it was chaos. Chaos.”

British nationals face dangerous journeys to Sudan evacuation site

Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy

British nationals in Khartoum are facing dangerous journeys to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip in the hope of boarding an evacuation flight out of Sudan.

One Sudanese-British citizen said some people are too scared to make the trip as another described “complete chaos” on the streets.

Eight flights were expected to have left by the end of Wednesday to lift people to safety as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds.

Harry Stedman reports:

British nationals face dangerous journeys to Sudan evacuation site

Braverman appears to rule out safe and legal routes for refugees from Sudan

Wednesday 26 April 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy

Suella Braverman has appeared to rule out introducing safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees trying to escape the conflict in Sudan.

The Home Secretary confirmed on Tuesday the Government has “no plans” to consider making provisions for civilians from the war-torn country to access Britain.

During a visit to Northamptonshire, Ms Braverman was asked about the prospect of turning efforts towards helping those trying to flee Khartoum once the evacuation of British nationals has been completed.

Nina Lloyd reports:

Braverman appears to rule out safe and legal routes for refugees from Sudan

Sudanese crowd at borders to escape amid shaky truce

Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy

Sudanese families were massing at a border crossing with Egypt and at a main port on Wednesday, desperately trying to escape their country’s violence and sometimes waiting for days with little food or shelter, witnesses said.

In the capital, Khartoum, the intensity of fighting eased on the second day of a three-day truce.

Taking advantage of relative calm, many residents in Khartoum and the neighbouring city of Omdurman emerged from their homes to seek food and water, lining up at bakeries or grocery stores, after days of being trapped inside by the fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group.

Some inspected shops or homes that had been destroyed or looted.“There is a sense of calm in my area and neighbourhoods,” said Mahasen Ali, a tea vendor who lives in Khartoum’s southern neighbourhood of May. “But all are afraid of what’s next.

”Still, gunfire and explosions could be heard in the city, though residents said clashes were in more limited pockets, mainly around the military’s headquarters and the Republican Palace in central Khartoum and around bases in Omdurman across the Nile River.

British military assures Sudan evacuations can continue even if ceasefire breaks

Wednesday 26 April 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy

Air evacuations of British nationals from an airfield near Sudan’s capital can continue even if the fragile ceasefire breaks, military chiefs have assured.

More than 300 people have been airlifted from Wadi Saeedna airstrip near Khartoum since the pause in fierce fighting was agreed but thousands more may need help fleeing.

Brigadier Dan Reeve, chief of joint force operations, the RAF can move 500 people per day on five aircrafts but that could be increased by calling on more, or larger, planes.

Sam Blewett reports:

British military assures Sudan evacuations can continue even if ceasefire breaks

In pictures: First British nationals arrive in UK from Sudan

Wednesday 26 April 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy

UN warns of ‘immense suffering for years’ as first Britons land back in UK

Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:58 , Martha Mchardy

The UN has warned of “immense suffering for years” in Sudan as the first Britons land back in UK.

The UN secretary general, António Guterres warned prolonged fighting in Sudan could cause “years of immense suffering,” and that the conflict could not be resolved on the battlefield.

The comments come as more than 300 Britons have been evacuated from Sudan as the military races against time to bring people to safety before a 72-hour ceasefire ends.

The first plane landed at Stansted Airport at around 2.30pm from Lanarca, Cyprus. There were children on the flight, a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

However, No.10 has confirmed only British passport holders and their dependents are being evacuated - meaning some NHS doctors stranded in Sudan who are non-British and visa holders will not be able to seek safety.

The warring factions in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting on Tuesday, while Western, Arab and Asian nations raced to evacuate their citizens from the country.

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) said the US and Saudi Arabia mediated the truce.

The UK has said it will pursue “all avenues” to help British citizens still trapped in Khartoum.

With around 4,000 UK citizens possibly stranded amid deadly street fighting and a shortage of food, water and electricity, the government is pursuing “all diplomatic avenues” in removing British nationals from Sudan, Downing Street said.

Sudan crisis exposes government’s Refugee Ban Bill as ‘inhumane’, says Choose Love CEO

Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:08 , Martha Mchardy

The Sudan crisis exposes the government’s Refugee Ban Bill as “inhumane”, the Choose Love CEO has said.

Josie Naughton said: “The Sudan crisis exposes the government’s Refugee Ban Bill for what it is: an inhumane piece of legislation belonging to a different era.

“As the world rises to the challenge of mass displacement from Sudan, the UK is turning its back on the global principles required to maintain refugees’ rights to protection.

“Instead, this Bill will rip families apart, re-traumatise survivors of conflict and persecution, and most shamefully of all, it will criminalise and detain unaccompanied children. The world’s displaced population will grow exponentially in the coming decades, international cooperation, compassion and integration is our only solution.”

WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks and collapse of services

Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:00 , Martha Mchardy

The World Health Organisation (WHO) expects “many more” deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of essential services amid fighting, its director general said on Wednesday.

Battles between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary since mid-April has killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the WHO.

“On top of the number of deaths and injuries caused by the conflict itself, the WHO expects there will be many more deaths due to outbreaks, lack of access to food and water and disruptions to essential health services, including immunization,” WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Mr Tedros added that only 16 per cent of health facilities were functioning in the Sudanese capital.

“WHO estimates that one quarter of the lives lost so far could have been saved with access to basic haemorrhage control. But paramedics, nurses and doctors are unable to access injured civilians, and civilians are unable to access services.”

The U.N. health body was carrying out a risk assessment to determine whether the seizure of a laboratory in Khartoum housing pathogens represented a risk to public health.

“When lab workers are forced to leave a laboratory and untrained people enter that laboratory, there are always risks, but the risks are primarily to those individuals first and foremost to accidentally expose themselves to the pathogens,” said Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s health emergencies programme.

However, the absence of clean water and vaccines, as well as other sanitation issues, represented the main risk to Sudanese, he added.

Sudan Doctors Union warn of hospitals ‘taken out of service’ due to fighting

Wednesday 26 April 2023 15:50 , Martha Mchardy

The Sudan Doctors Union in the UK published a letter on Monday warning major hospitals and healthcare facilities had been “taken out of service due to structural damage from direct hits or/and an inability to safely provide healthcare personnel.

It said there are “serious shortages in all sorts of medical supplies and life-saving medicines, along with the lack of water, electricity, and fuel” which is complicating the healthcare response on the ground.

”We urge the UK and US Governments and the European Union to put the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan at the top of their agenda so we can save lives.

“Current efforts should focus on an immediate and permanent cessation of all military activity in Sudan and the provision of safe passage for civilians to and from healthcare facilities. The provision of life-saving drugs and intravenous solutions is urgent as well as restoring blood bank services,” the letter said.