Sudan crisis – live: UK flights land in Larnaca as Braverman says refugees on boats face deportation

Sudanese refugees who arrive in the UK by small boat could face deportation to Rwanda, Suella Braverman has said.

The home secretary said any Sudanese refugees who arrive on Britain’s shore via the English Channel will have “come here illegally”.

“There is no good reason for anybody to get into a small boat and cross the channel in search of a life in the UK,” Ms Braverman said when asked what will happen to Sudanese asylum seekers arriving in the country.

Her comments come after The Independent reported that Sudanese refugees face being criminalised and deported because there are no safe and legal routes for those fleeing the conflict.

Earlier, the UN said a US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan appears to be “partially holding”. However, UN special envoy Volker Perthes told the Security Council there were no signs the warring parties were ready to negotiate.

This suggested “that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible”, Mr Perthes said. “This is a miscalculation.”

Key Points

• Second flight carrying Britons from Sudan lands in Cyprus

• No sign Sudan warring parties ready to negotiate, UN says

• Woman trapped near Sudan army base pleads for evacuation: ‘Please save me and my son’

• First evacuation flight leaves after Britons told to make their own way to airfield ‘asap’

• Exclusive: UK evacuation ‘inhuman’ as Sudanese relatives excluded – with no plans for asylum route

• WHO says 'high risk of biological hazard' after Sudan laboratory seized

More than 300 Britons evacuated as first flights on way to UK

13:08 , Emily Atkinson

More than 300 Britons have been evacuated from Sudan as the military races against time to bring people to safety before a ceasefire ends.

Over four flights have departed Khartoum so far, a total that will rise to eight on Wednesday, Downing Street has said.

“We’re calling everyone forward and we have no issue with capacity, and people are being processed smoothly,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.

“By the end of today we should have eight flights (in total).”

The “majority” of the people on the planes are British nationals but some will be allies’ citizens, he said.

Desperate British nationals ‘walk four hours’ to reach evacuation flights from Sudan

12:54 , Emily Atkinson

A British national in Khartoum plans to walk for four hours from his location to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip, despite the threat of being shot and cashless, in the hope of boarding an evacuation flight to the UK.

Tarig Babikir, 42, who used to live in Coventry, told the PA news agency: “I’m going to go through national army checkpoints and paramilitary checkpoints, and most likely I’m going to encounter some armed gangs as well.

“I’m carrying no cash as you can get robbed on the streets, and I’m going to hide my cell phone.”

Mr Babikir’s Ukrainian mother and Sudanese father both have expired UK visas, so he will have to leave them behind with other relatives.

“My dad is recovering from a stroke, but the best option right now is to leave and I will probably come back in a month’s time,” he said.

He added he has been told by the UK Government that two evacuation flights are due to leave Wadi Saeedna on Wednesday evening, and he would be staying with a friend in Kent upon arriving back in the UK, adding: “It’s complete anarchy right now, complete chaos. Anyone can rob you, anyone can shoot you.”

Child soldiers, death and despair: We must secure peace in Sudan

12:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

It is always much harder to enforce peace than it is to start a war, writes the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns:

Opinion: Child soldiers, death and despair: We must secure peace in Sudan

At least 240 Britons land in Cyprus in Sudan evacuation

12:36 , Emily Atkinson

Now to the latest update from Reuters on the ground:

Britain ramped up an airlift of its citizens out of war-torn Sudan to Cyprus on Wednesday, racing to evacuate as many as possible in a 72-hour ceasefire window.

Britain began the large-scale evacuation on Tuesday, following other nations in pulling people out of Sudan where clashes between the army and the RSF paramilitary group have killed at least 459 people since April 15.

At least 240 Britons arrived from Sudan to Larnaca in Cyprus overnight to early Wednesday.

Diplomats said that about 170 individuals who had arrived overnight to the east Mediterranean island had already been placed on a repatriation flight to the UK. Another 150 people were due on an early afternoon flight, diplomats said, and more flights were expected during the day.

The British government has estimated that around 4,000 Britons were stuck in Sudan.

“The effort is for a smooth operation for people arriving, then leaving as soon as possible,” said Theodoros Gotsis, a spokesperson for Cyprus’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has turned residential areas into battlefields and destroyed hospitals.

Both parties agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire beginning on Tuesday after negotiations mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Flynn doubles down on questions over Sudanese refugees coming to UK

12:30 , Emily Atkinson

Mr Sunak is continuing to bat away questions over Sudanese refugees.

The SNP Westminster leader has asked the PM to outline a “safe and legal route” available to a child refugee seeking to flee Sudan to arrive in the UK.

Stephen Flynn told the Commons: “Can I ask the prime minister to outline the safe and legal route available to a child refugee seeking to flee Sudan and come to the United Kingdom?”

Rishi Sunak replied: “As outlined earlier, our priority in Sudan, first and foremost, was to evacuate our diplomats and their families, which I’m very pleased we were one of the first countries to be able to do.

“Since yesterday, we have been conducting a large-scale evacuation of British nationals.

“We have some of the largest numbers of British nationals on the ground and rightly - and I am sure the whole House will agree with me - that it is reasonable, legal, and fair to prioritise those most vulnerable families, particularly those with elderly people in them, medical conditions, but also children.

“That’s what we are in the process of doing and I pay tribute to all those who are making it possible.”

Sunak dodges questions of Sudanese refugees

12:26 , Emily Atkinson

Rishi Sunak has defended the UK’s migration system after the SNP Commons leader called for more “humanity” in the debate over small boats.

Stephen Flynn was grilling the prime minister over whether a child refugee fleeing Sudan for the UK would be able to seek asylum under the government’s rules.

Mr Flynn hit out at the Conservative and Labour parties, as he accused Mr Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer of “rac[ing] to the bottom.”

He asked the PM to confirm to the Commons “that it would be his government’s intention to detain and deport a child refugee who flees from Sudan and comes to the United Kingdom.”

Mr Sunak avoided the question and instead pointed to the government’s work to evacuate diplomats and British nationals from Sudan.

Starmer pays tribute to personnel involved in Sudan evacuation

12:19 , Emily Atkinson

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to personnel involved in the evacuation effort from Sudan, adding: “The government must do everything in its power to urgently evacuate UK nationals still trapped in Sudan.”

Sudan will experience a humanitarian catastrophe, Africa minister says

12:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Sudan will experience a “humanitarian catastrophe”, the Africa minister has said.

Andrew Mitchell told the Foreign Affairs Committee that the position in terms of food and the lack of humanitarian relief workers will lead to such a crisis.

He said most humanitarian workers are leaving and will not be able to come back until there is a ceasefire. “This isn’t an ideological battle, this is a battle between two generals for power.” He added: “Five of them have already been murdered.”

Mr Mitchell denied that the government should have seen the conflict in Sudan coming.

“This isn’t an ideological battle, this is a battle between two generals for power,” he said. “There is no ideology involved in this, it’s raw power being fought over.

“One might have hoped that this would never happen given the appalling humanitarian jeopardy it has placed so many people in.”

Press Association

Sunak promises to continue work to ‘end bloodshed’ in Sudan

12:10 , Emily Atkinson

Rishi Sunak has promised to continue to work to “end the bloodshed” in Sudan as the UK races against time to bring British nationals to safety.

Addressing the Commons, the prime minister said: “The UK will continue to work to end the bloodshed in Sudan and support a democratic government.

“We have begun a large-scale evacuation of British nationals and I pay tribute to all those carrying out this complex operation.’’

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

12:01 , Matt Mathers

Families watched as fighter jets roared overhead and bombs landed just a few kilometres from them as they were forced to hide, Bel Trew and Tara Cobham report.

Read the full story here:

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

Massachusetts mother and baby daughter escape Sudan after terrifying week sheltering from war

11:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A Massachusetts mother and her 18-month-old daughter have safely crossed the border out of Sudan after spending a terrifying week stranded in the war-torn country.

Trillian Clifford, a teacher at Khartoum International American School, and her daughter Alma were among thousands of American citizens trapped in Sudan as a violent civil war unfolds between the North African country’s two most powerful generals. Her family in Massachusetts announced on Tuesday that Ms Clifford, her daughter, and all American teachers employed by the school have been able to safely leave Sudan.

Their whereabouts will not be shared for security reasons, but it will be several days before Ms Clifford and baby Alma reach American soil. The escape was organised by Ms Clifford’s school and was also possible thanks to the help of Senator Elizabeth Warren and Governor Maura Healey, Ms Clifford’s family said.

“While we are relieved that Trillian is finally making progress on her journey back home, we want to acknowledge there are millions of people still suffering through this conflict in Sudan and many foreign nationals still trying to evacuate,” Ms Clifford’s sister-in-law told The Independent in a statement. “We extend our deepest concern for the innocent citizens of Sudan, including Trillian’s young students.”

Ms Winter said Ms Clifford had been in touch with her on Tuesday and wanted to thank the public for all the support she has received.

Sudan evacuees flying back to UK

11:40 , Matt Mathers

The first flight of evacuees from Sudan is on its way back to Britain as the military races against time to lift people to safety during a fragile ceasefire.

RAF flights from near the capital of Khartoum were continuing throughout Wednesday after hundreds of UK nationals were brought to safety in Cyprus.

A chartered jet was taking a first group back to London Stansted left Larnaca in the morning, with officials working to rescue more than 2,000 citizens who have registered in Sudan.

No sign Sudan warring parties ready to negotiate, UN says

11:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan appears to be partially holding but there is no sign the warring parties are ready to seriously negotiate, the UN special envoy on Sudan said yesterday.

This suggested “that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible,” envoy Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council. “This is a miscalculation.”

Fighting broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April. Both parties agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire beginning on Tuesday after negotiations mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

“It seems to be holding in some parts so far. However, we also hear continuing reports of fighting and movement of troops,” said Perthes, who spoke via video from Port Sudan.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the violence and chaos in Sudan as “heartbreaking.”

The power struggle puts Sudan’s future at risk and could cause suffering for years and set back development for decades, Mr Guterres said.

The United Nations has moved hundreds of staff and family members to Port Sudan from Khartoum.

The United Nations plans to establish a hub in Port Sudan to continue working in the country where, even before the violence broke out, nearly 16 million people - one-third of the population - were in need of humanitarian aid.

Reuters

Fighting eases slightly - residents

11:00 , Matt Mathers

Sudanese people living in the capital Khartoum and the neighbouring city of Omdurman have reported sporadic clashes early on Wednesday between the military and a rival paramilitary force but said the intensity of fighting had dwindled on the second day of a three-day truce.

Many residents of the capital emerged from their homes to seek food and water, lining up at bakeries or grocery shops, witnesses said. Some inspected stores or homes that had been destroyed or looted during the fighting.

Others joined the tens of thousands who have been streaming out of the city in recent days."There is a sense of calm in my area and neighbourhoods," said Mahasen Ali, a tea vendor who lives in a southern neighbourhood of Khartoum.

"But all are afraid of what’s next."

Jailed strongman's whereabouts unknown amid Sudan chaos

10:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

An attack on the prison holding deposed Sudanese strongman Omar al-Bashir has raised questions about his whereabouts, with one of the warring sides saying he is being held in a secure location and the other alleging he has been released.

Al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for three decades despite wars and sanctions, was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and other crimes committed during the conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur region in the 2000s.

He and other former top officials accused of atrocities have been held in Kober prison in Khartoum for the last four years, as authorities have declined ICC requests that they be handed over.

The Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which together had removed al-Bashir from power during mass protests, are now battling one another across the capital.

The fighting reached the prison over the weekend, with conflicting reports about what transpired.

Military officials told The Associated Press that al-Bashir, as well as Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein and Ahmed Haroun — who held senior security positions during the Darfur crisis — had been moved to a military-run medical facility in Khartoum under tight security for their own safety.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter with the media.

The army later accused the RSF of donning military uniforms and attacking the prison, saying they released inmates and looted the facility.

The RSF, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, denied the allegations and claimed that the military “forcibly evacuated” the facility as part of a plan to restore al-Bashir to power.

Local media meanwhile aired a purported audio statement from Haroun in which he said that he and other former officials were left in the prison complex guarded by a small number of security forces, and were later allowed to walk free.

He said they left the prison for their own safety because of the fighting and a lack of food or water. He did not mention al-Bashir or say where he and the other officials were.

Associated Press

Airlift continues as ministers defend response

10:25 , Matt Mathers

Hundreds of Britons have been evacuated from Sudan as the military races against time to bring people to safety before a ceasefire ends.

Flights began landing in Cyprus on Tuesday evening and continued through the night, with more planned on Wednesday.

Home secretary Suella Braverman said on Wednesday morning that 200 to 300 people had been brought out so far.

Sophie Wingate reports:

Sudan airlift continues as ministers defend UK response to the crisis

Sudan fighting eclipses new truce as aid groups raise alarm

10:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Sudanese and foreigners streamed out of the capital of Khartoum and other battle zones, as fighting Tuesday shook a new three-day truce brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Aid agencies raised increasing alarm over the crumbling humanitarian situation in a country reliant on outside help.

A series of short cease-fires the past week have either failed outright or brought only intermittent lulls in the fighting that has raged between forces loyal to the country’s two top generals since April 15.

The lulls have been enough for dramatic evacuations of hundreds of foreigners by air and land, which continued Tuesday.

But they have brought no relief to millions of Sudanese caught in the crossfire, struggling to find food, shelter and medical care as explosions, gunfire and looters wreck their neighbourhoods.

In a country where a third of the population of 46 million already needed humanitarian assistance, multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations and dozens of hospitals have been forced to shut down.

The UN refugee agency said it was gearing up for potentially tens of thousands of people fleeing into neighbouring countries.

Calls for negotiations to end the crisis in Africa’s third-largest nation have been ignored.

For many Sudanese, the departure of diplomats, aid workers and other foreigners and the closure of embassies are terrifying signs that international powers expect the mayhem to only worsen.

Associated Press

Ousted former president being held in military hospital under police custody - report

10:06 , Matt Mathers

Sudan’s army on Wednesday said ousted former president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir is being held in a military hospital under police custody.

Formerly jailed Bashir and around 30 others were moved to the hospital on the recommendation of medical staff in Kober prison before fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out, the statement said.

Police said the raid on Kober led to the killing and injury of several prison officials, adding that the RSF released all who were held there.

The prison break-ins took place between April 21-24, the ministry said.

UK troops to take over Sudan airfield as evacuation flights gather pace

09:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The first evacuation flights carrying British nationals have taken off from Sudan as UK troops prepare to take over the running of the airfield.

Three planes were due to have left conflict-torn Khartoum for Cyprus by Wednesday morning, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledging “many more” would follow as he warned of a “critical” 24 hours.

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.

Around 260 people were expected to be flown out overnight on three flights, the first landing on Tuesday evening at Larnaca airport on Tuesday evening with around 40 people on board.

British nationals have been told to make their own way to the site with some fearing they will not make it due to a petrol shortage.

Scottish Government expresses ‘deep concern’ over Sudan conflict

09:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Scotland’s External Affairs Secretary has written to the Foreign Secretary to express the Scottish Government’s “deep concern” over the current conflict in Sudan.

Angus Robertson said a number of Scots and family members have been in touch with the Scottish Government and he thanked all those in the armed forces and UK Government currently working on evacuation efforts.

He urged the UK Government to do everything possible to work with international partners to address the humanitarian situation and to offer protection for those fleeing the violence.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that “many more” flights carrying British nationals will leave Sudan into Wednesday, after the first plane took off from the conflict-torn nation on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister said “over a thousand” UK citizens in Sudan have been contacted about evacuation plans, with officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) having spoken to hundreds directly already.

How is the UK evacuating people from Sudan?

08:55 , Matt Mathers

The first British nationals were evacuated from conflict-torn Sudan on Tuesday.

A 72-hour ceasefire between warring factions has provided a window for foreign nationals to escape a “dangerous, volatile and unpredictable” situation, according to the prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Several previous ceasefires declared since 15 April outbreak of fighting were not observed, the Associated Press reports.

Here is a look at what we know about the evacuation plans, so far.

Jacob Phillips reports:

How is the UK evacuating people from Sudan?

A British doctor was shot saving his family in Sudan. Now, he’s trapped and supplies are dwindling

08:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A British doctor trapped in Sudan has been shot in the leg as he “risked his life” to rescue his elderly mother, his daughter has revealed.

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 the country’s two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April.

His daughter and mother, who requires constant care, had been without water and electricity for five days at his brother’s house close to the airport when he felt he had to move them to a safer place.

Speaking to The Independent, his daughter – a British doctor based in London – told how her father drove to the house at dusk last Thursday through the streets of the capital, past bodies strewn across the roads.

Calling herself Dr A to protect family in Sudan, she said: “They started shooting at the car first. My father kept going, but then he stopped because the shooting was coming from all directions.

Tara Cobham reports:

British doctor shot in leg as he rescued mother and daughter in Sudan

Suella Braverman says Sudanese refugees who come to UK on small boats will face deportation

08:39 , Matt Mathers

Sudanese refugees who arrive in the UK on small boats will have “come here illegally” and face deportation, Suella Braverman has confirmed.

The Home Secretary said those fleeing the conflict in Sudan would be detained and could be removed to Rwanda under the government’s Illegal Migration Bill.

“There is no good reason for anybody to get into a small boat and cross the channel in search of a life in the UK,” Ms Braverman said when asked what will happen to Sudanese asylum seekers arriving in the country.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Braverman says Sudanese refugees who come to UK on small boats will face deportation

UK has evacuated up to 300 people from Sudan - Braverman

08:35 , Matt Mathers

Home secretary Suella Braverman said 200 to 300 people had been evacuated from Sudan so far as part of the airlift.

She told Sky News: “We commenced an evacuation mission in the last 24-48 hours and we expect there to be approximately 200 to 300 people who have been relocated from Sudan in the last few flights.

“We are now commencing an extensive operation, working with over 1,000 personnel from the RAF and the armed forces.”

She defended the UK’s response, saying the government had to cope with a “larger cohort of British nationals in Sudan compared to many other countries”.

UK troops to take over Sudan airfield as evacuation flights gather pace

08:30 , Matt Mathers

The first evacuation flights carrying British nationals have taken off from Sudan as UK troops prepare to take over the running of the airfield.

Two Royal Air Force planes have landed at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus as of 6.30am on Wednesday, with the first charter flight back to London set to depart later in the day.

Families with young children were among those on the first flights that landed in Cyprus with a British man telling the BBC that his sister, who left Sudan overnight, felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

Three planes were due to have left conflict-torn Khartoum for Cyprus by Wednesday morning, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledging “many more” would follow as he warned of a “critical” 24 hours.

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.

Not inevitable Sudanese people will arrive in UK on small boats - Braverman

08:16 , Matt Mathers

There is “no good reason” for “anybody” to cross the Channel in search of a new life in the UK, home secretary Suella Braverman has said as she faced questions on the Sudan crisis.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Braverman also said it was not inevitable that Sudanese people would try to flee to Britain as their country collapses amid an ongoing conflict.

Nearly 4,000 Sudanese have arrived in the UK by small boat since 2018, according to official figures. Further comments from the home secretary below:

Terrified pregnant British woman stranded in war-torn Sudan ‘could give birth at any moment’

08:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A terrified pregnant British woman stranded in war-torn Sudan with her family fears she could give birth at any moment as they battle to flee the country.

The woman’s older sister Saryah Elwasila, 29, said the family of five, who were in the country visiting family for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr when fierce clashes erupted, had been forced to flee Khartoum to the city of Wad Madani in the neighbouring state of Gezira, without food, power, fuel, very little water and money. There is also no functioning hospital nearby if the woman goes into labour after many were bombed and doctors fled.

The family has been robbed twice by looters who are raiding abandoned areas, leaving them with only their passports, a small amount of money and the clothes they were wearing.

The British government announced on Tuesday morning that it would begin evacuation flights for UK nationals from Sudan following an agreed 72-hour ceasefire but Elwasila said her family had heard nothing from British authorities. Without fuel, they fear they have now lost their last slim chance of escape.

Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan?

07:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Hundreds of foreign nationals have been safely evacuated from Sudan where continued fighting threatens to plunge the African country deeper into chaos

Which countries are evacuating citizens from Sudan?

‘Very limited’ contact from Foreign Office

07:24 , Matt Mathers

The son of a British citizen trying to escape Sudan has said his family have had "very limited" contact from the Home Office.

Saleh El-Khalifa, whose mother is attempting to flee Sudan with her elderly father, said the Home Office advice to stay indoors had not been a "viable option".

His mother was forced to make a journey to Port Sudan with her 86-year-old father, who suffers from a terminal illness, and is trying to cross the border into Saudi Arabia, he said.

Mr Khalifa told BBC Breakfast the journey was "beyond challenging" and that information from the Home Office had been "very limited", adding: "It could be points that I’m not able to speak to her for a day or two.

"The first few days me and my sister tried to contact (the Home Office). The advice was the same, to stay in doors and not move. That wasn’t a viable option as there was no guarantee of their safety by staying in one location.

"That is why the majority of people have had to move to ensure their own life and safety, which is a situation no-one should have to be put in.

"It is at the point now where my mum might be trying to get into Saudi Arabia as she believes it would be a safer route back to the UK as opposed to being told at the last moment where these flights are taking off.

"We heard about one of the first flights yesterday that it was only on the ground for less than half an hour and the location was being shared very minimally.

"Even if my mum had been told of the right time, the timeframe she would have had to get there would have been almost impossible."

Bashir-era official wanted by ICC escapes jail after reports of prison break

07:15 , Andy Gregory

Ahmed Haroun, a former Sudanese official who served under Omar al-Bashir and is wanted by the International Criminal Court, said that he and other former officials of Bashir’s government had left Kober prison and would take responsibility for their own protection

Mr Haroun also said they were ready to appear in front of the judiciary whenever it was functioning, in a statement aired on Sudan’s Tayba TV on Tuesday.

The statement comes after reports that prisoners at Kober prison, which held Bashir and other top deputies, had staged a break earlier this week. It was not immediately clear if Bashir, who has spent extended periods in a military hospital, was at the prison.

Second flight carrying Britons from Sudan lands in Cyprus

06:54 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The second flight carrying British nationals from Sudan landed in Cyprus this morning, reports said.

Trapped British nationals were told to make their own way to an airstrip near the Sudanese capital Khartoum, where an RAF military plane picked them up and flew them to Larnarca International Airport.

Three planes were due to have left conflict-torn Khartoum for Cyprus by this morning, with prime minister Rishi Sunak pledging “many more” would follow as he warned of a “critical” 24 hours.

Sudanese refugees face deportation from UK as government fails to set up safe and legal routes

06:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Sudanese refugees face being criminalised and deported from the UK because there are no safe and legal routes for most people fleeing the conflict.

The British government is not planning to set up a bespoke scheme for the country like those used for Ukraine and Afghanistan, The Independent understands and is only evacuating British citizens and embassy staff.

Almost 4,000 Sudanese small-boat migrants have crossed the English Channel since 2020, and they are already the eighth-highest nationality using the route.

When questioned at an event in central London on Tuesday, immigration minister Robert Jenrick suggested he expected a rise in Sudanese small boat crossings, saying it was “likely that, in time, there will be migratory effects” of the crisis.

Mr Jenrick insisted that the government did “have safe and legal routes, more broadly”, but maintained its position that “those in peril should seek sanctuary in the first safe country they reach”.

More from Lizzie Dearden,Bel Trew:

UK fails to set up safe and legal route for refugees fleeing Sudan

It was right to evacuate diplomats first, says Sunak

06:15 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak has defended the UK’s decision to evacuate British diplomats before helping ordinary citizens leave Sudan.

Asked on Tuesday about accusations that the government is not doing enough to help citizens Khartoum, the PM said: “I’m pleased that we were actually one of the first countries to safely evacuate our diplomats and our families. And it was right that we prioritised them 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.”

Turks evacuated from Sudan arrive in Istanbul

06:06 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The first Turkish civilians evacuated from Sudan returned to Turkey on Wednesday, with more than 100 people arriving by plane at Istanbul Airport, Reuters footage showed.

The Turks came from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where they had arrived overland from the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Several more flights were expected later on Wednesday to evacuate the remaining Turkish citizens crossing to Ethiopia from Sudan.

Fighting flared anew in Sudan late on Tuesday despite a ceasefire declaration by the warring factions as more people fled Khartoum and former officials, including one facing international war crimes charges, left prison.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan has called on both sides in Sudan to end the conflict and return to negotiations.

Reuters

Woman trapped near Sudan army base pleads for evacuation: ‘Please save me and my son’

05:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A Sudanese woman married to an Indian man has issued a desperate appeal to be evacuated having been left stranded – along with her 21-month-old son – by the fighting in the country.

“Please help me and my son,” Baraah Abaker, 23, says – as countries, including India, scramble to evacuate their citizens.

Fighting began earlier this month between forces loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s army, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

Abaker was in her final year at Bahri University when her husband Abdul Haseeb left for India in October last year for work. He left their Indian passport-holding son with her.

A veterinary doctor in her final year, Abaker was to take her exams before returning to her husband in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

More by Namita Singh here:

Woman trapped in Sudan pleads for evacuation: ‘Please save me and my son’

Rishi Sunak pledges ‘many more’ Sudan evacuation flights as he warns next 24 hour is critical

05:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Rishi Sunak has pledged “many more” evacuation flights in what will be a “critical” 24 hours as ministers scramble to rescue Britons from war-torn Sudan.

The prime minister said more than 1,000 people had been contacted, of an estimated 4,000 in the country, and many were making their way to an airfield outside Khartoum.

But the government was forced to defend the timing and handling of the evacuation effort amid claims it had taken its “eye off the ball”.

Ministers denied Britons should have been evacuated earlier after Germany announced it would complete its operation overnight.

It came as Alicia Kearns, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, urged the government “to commit as many resources as quickly as possible” to the rescue because “there is a very real danger fighting will return”.

No sign Sudan warring parties ready to negotiate, UN says

04:44 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan appears to be partially holding but there is no sign the warring parties are ready to seriously negotiate, the UN special envoy on Sudan said yesterday.

This suggested “that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible,” envoy Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council. “This is a miscalculation.”

Fighting broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April. Both parties agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire beginning on Tuesday after negotiations mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

“It seems to be holding in some parts so far. However, we also hear continuing reports of fighting and movement of troops,” said Perthes, who spoke via video from Port Sudan.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the violence and chaos in Sudan as “heartbreaking.”

The power struggle puts Sudan’s future at risk and could cause suffering for years and set back development for decades, Mr Guterres said.

The United Nations has moved hundreds of staff and family members to Port Sudan from Khartoum.

The United Nations plans to establish a hub in Port Sudan to continue working in the country where, even before the violence broke out, nearly 16 million people - one-third of the population - were in need of humanitarian aid.

Reuters

Britons experiencing fuel shortages must still make own way to airport, says minister

04:42 , Andy Gregory

British citizens in Sudan who are experiencing fuel shortages must still make their own way to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip in Khartoum to be evacuated, the UK’s Africa minister Andrew Mitchell has said.

“Travel within Sudan is conducted at British nationals’ own risk and plans may change depending on the security situation,” he told MPs, adding that he has “enormous sympathy” for British citizens facing travel difficulties within Sudan.

People who have registered with the Foreign Office should receive contact from the department at least once a day, he said, in what appeared to be a reference to automated messages.

Mr Mitchell added: “The atmospherics in Khartoum hinder that sort of communication. Yesterday there was 2 per cent internet – that does make communicating extremely difficult but in principle that has been what we have tried to achieve. The system is working but it is spasmodic.”

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

04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Families watched as fighter jets roared overhead and bombs landed just a few kilometres from them as they were forced to hide, Bel Trew and Tara Cobham report:

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

Sudan conflict explained: What’s happening in Khartoum?

04:04 , Maroosha Muzaffar

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.

The sudden slide into violence between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has stranded thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers in the country, with the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states among those closing their embassies and working to evacuate their nationals.

Read the full story here:

What is happening in Sudan? The conflict crisis explained

Washington is talking to leaders on both sides of conflict, says White House

03:31 , Andy Gregory

United States president Joe Biden’s national security team is continuing to talk to military leaders from both sides of the Sudan conflict to support a durable end to the conflict, the White House has said.

The US is working with partners and Sudanese civilian groups to work toward a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian arrangements, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.

Battle in Sudan's capital risks awakening war in Darfur

01:20 , Reuters

Darfur inhabitants fear battles between Sudan’s rival military leaders could reawaken war in the vast and largely desert region already scarred by a two-decade-old conflict.

The Darfur conflict originated around 2003-2004, pitting rebels against government forces backed by horse-riding militia known as “Janjaweed” in violence that killed some 300,000 people and uprooted millions from their homes.

Despite repeated peace deals, the conflict has simmered ever since, with violence rising in the past two years. Now the conflict which began in Khartoum between Sudan’s army and RSF paramilitary, who had been ruling together during a political transition, has quickly spread to Darfur.

Residents and sources have reported pillaging, ethnic reprisal attacks, and clashes between the two military factions in various population centres around the farming and nomadic region that is roughly the size of France.

Local mediation has helped cool the strife in the main cities of Nyala and al-Fashir, but shelling and looting have continued in the town of Genena, leaving Darfuris fearing another major explosion of warfare.

“If this continues, if we get the killing of military commanders that are a part of influential tribes, then it’ll be anarchy. There will be tribal mobilisation,” said Ahmed Gouja, a journalist and rights activist in Nyala.

For Sudan’s warring leaders, Darfur is as familiar as it is strategically important. Army chief Abdel-Fattah Burhan rose through the army ranks while fighting in Darfur. RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo got his start as a leader of one of the militias which did much of the government side’s fighting during the Darfur conflict, inflicting an outsize proportion of the violence.

As the army now tries to push his RSF fighters from positions across Khartoum, the group could fall back on its roots in Darfur to try to regroup and raise reinforcements.

UK to assume control of airfield from Germany, says Ben Wallace

Wednesday 26 April 2023 00:13 , Andy Gregory

The UK will take over from German forces running the Wadi Saeedna airfield on Wednesday, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said.

“The Germans are leaving tomorrow, and we will take over the facilitation at the airfield,” he told LBC. “And the reason the Germans are leaving is people have stopped coming in large numbers.”

Only one nation can facilitate the airfield at a time, Mr Wallace said, adding: “If the Spanish or the Italians or anyone else wants to fly, we’ll be the ones giving permissions effectively.”

The minister also said that 99 per cent of the British nationals who have registered with the Foreign Office did so in Khartoum.

Hundreds of British nationals expected to be evacuated overnight

Tuesday 25 April 2023 23:01 , Andy Gregory

Some 260 people in total are expected to be evacuated on three British flights tonight, with the first plane to land in Cyprus having carried 39 people, according to the BBC.

The Independent understands the overnight figure to be in line with official estimates.

UK can ‘take who turns up’ at evacuation area, says Wallace

Tuesday 25 April 2023 22:07 , Andy Gregory

The British military is ready to “take who turns up” at the evacuation area in Sudan and the situation is “not like Kabul”, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said.

“We have got two plane loads that will go out tonight. We can take really who turns up at the moment,” he told Channel 4 News earlier.

“What we’ve learned from both seeing the German and the French evacuation is, this is first of all, not like Kabul, not thousands at the gate and people are making their way, they’re being processed. We have a Border Force and Foreign Office team on the ground, and then we’re loading them up.

“I think there is some risk that some of the planes are not full. We’ve seen that in the German planes and they’ve then resorted, understandably, to take some other fellow foreign personnel there if there’s room.”

Mr Wallace added: “As I’m giving this interview right now one of the planes is loading, and there’ll be another one tonight and then there’ll be a number of planes tomorrow as well.”

UK government could not have predicted battle for ‘raw power’ in Sudan, minister insists

Tuesday 25 April 2023 21:15 , Andy Gregory

The UK’s minister for Africa has denied that the government should have seen the conflict in Sudan coming.

“This isn’t an ideological battle, this is a battle between two generals for power,” Andrew Mitchell told MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee.

“There is no ideology involved in this, it’s raw power being fought over. One might have hoped that this would never happen given the appalling humanitarian jeopardy it has placed so many people in.”

The minister added: “We would not have expected that these two generals would have slugged it out in this way on a totally non-ideological issue, let alone deploy heavy weapons in built-up areas.”

Questioned on next steps, Mr Mitchell went on: “What is urgently required is a ceasefire, for the combatants to lay down their arms and return to barracks and for the political process, which was moving forward significantly before the second week of April, for that to reassert itself.”

Sudan will experience a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’, MPs told

Tuesday 25 April 2023 21:08 , Andy Gregory

Sudan will experience a “humanitarian catastrophe”, the UK’s minister for Africa has said.

Andrew Mitchell told the Foreign Affairs Committee that the lack of food supplies and humanitarian relief workers will lead to such a crisis, with most humanitarian staff living with little prospect of returning without a ceasefire.

“Five of them have already been murdered,” he said.

First UK evacuation flight lands in Cyprus, carrying 39 people

Tuesday 25 April 2023 20:23 , Andy Gregory

The first flight evacuating UK civilians from Sudan has landed at Larnaca airport in Cyprus, with 39 people on board, the BBC has reported, citing British officials.

Around 260 people in total are expected to be flown out of the war-torn nation overnight on three separate flights, according to the broadcaster.

UK evacuees should ‘ideally’ be ‘pre-cleared’ when they reach airfield, says minister

Tuesday 25 April 2023 20:05 , Andy Gregory

The UK’s Africa minister Andrew Mitchell has told MPs that people seeking evacuation from Sudan should “ideally” be “pre-cleared” before they arrive at the airstrip having been in touch with the Foreign Office.

“Otherwise we are expecting them to have a British passport and so far I’m not aware of any problems in that process,” he said.

Those stuck in Sudan have been grappling with internet outages and several have criticised a lack of personal contact from the embassy and Foreign Office prior to today, prompting some to seek to escape the country themselves.

Dr Lina Badr, 42, an NHS gynaecologist who has hired a $20,000 bus along with several fellow Britons in a bid for the Egyptian border, told The Independent of the frantic nature of their departure, having at one point been forced to escape heavy gunfire, saying: “Some of us… were not able to bring passports, some have passports which are expired.”

British grandfather, 85, stuck in Sudan without food or water – despite living next to embassy

Tuesday 25 April 2023 19:32 , Andy Gregory

Azhar Sholgami, a researcher at Cornell University in the US has told The Independent that her British grandfather, aged 85, has been left trapped on the frontline without water or food – despite living directly opposite the British Embassy.

“The RSF raided and looted his home, they took water and food they had. There is no electricity or phone connection so we have no contact with him,” she said of her grandfather, Abdalla Sholgami, a retired businessman.

“We have called different people in the embassy to help for the last eight or nine days,” said Ms Sholgami, adding: “My grandfather always said he is happy to live next to the British Embassy because if anythinggoes wrong they are just next door. It’s super disappointing.

“The least they could have done is knock on the door and given him a single bottle of water when they left but they didn’t even do that,” she said.

German minister appears to make dig at UK evacuation of embassy staff

Tuesday 25 April 2023 18:58 , Andy Gregory

Germany’s foreign minister appeared to take a dig at the UK government’s decision to first evacuate embassy staff as she announced that Berlin’s final evacuation flight would depart Khartoum this evening, with German citizens still stranded in Sudan to be evacuated by other nations.

Annalena Baerbock told reporters: “It was important to us that, unlike in other countries, an evacuation not only applies to our embassy staff but to all local Germans and our partners.

“Almost 500 people from 30 countries were flown out of Khartoum thanks to our support – that is a huge achievement.

The fact that our citizens abroad can also rely on not being left to their own devices in an emergency is not a bureaucratic matter of course. It is the result of courage, teamwork and tireless dedication on the part of many hundreds of people involved in the German armed forces, the federal police and the Foreign Office.”

Praising three officials who flew to Khartoum to help the evacuation for their “impressive” willingness to enter “such a crisis situation voluntarily as civilians”, she added that Berlin was continuing to work on ways to rescue remaining citizens there, “be it with flights from partners, by land or by sea”.

Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these British families escaped war-torn Sudan

Tuesday 25 April 2023 18:27 , Andy Gregory

British families fleeing Sudan have told The Indepenent of dodging heavy gunfire and bombing in their bids to escape the war-torn country after the Foreign Office “failed” to secure safe routes out.

Many have spent thousands to escape the country themselves, having given up on the Foreign Office after days without any communication bar automatic emails telling them to shelter in place.

“I completely lost hope in the system. Until this morning, I have not received anything about a solid evacuation plan. Just advice to stay indoors and call for any psychological support,” said NHS gynaecologist and Dr Lina Bahr, from the Egyptian border, where she hoped to cross to safety.

“With no connection we had to make a decision. We took the risk,” said the mother of three, who hired a bus with other Britons for $20,000 in order to escape after stray bullets ripped through her family’s living room, food and supplies ran out and her two-year-old became sick.

While more than 2,000 people have registered themselves with the Foreign Office for help, Dr Bahr’s husband Ousama Suliman, also an NHS doctor, said: “Everyone I know has pretty much made the journey by road to Egypt.

“Most of the people who have registered with Foreign Office are not going to be there to evacuate. When the hotline numbers don’t work, when you can’t get through to anyone and then you hear the diplomats, the embassy has been evacuated, you panic.”

Our international correspondent Bel Trew and reporter Tara Cobham have the full report:

Dodging bullets and paying thousands: How these families escaped war-torn Sudan