LONDON — Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the U.K. government “is coordinating an evacuation of British nationals from Sudan,” after a cease-fire was agreed between the warring sides there last night.
“We have started contacting nationals directly and providing routes for departure out of the country,” Cleverly tweeted early Tuesday.
An estimated 4,000 civilians now face a tense few hours, as they wait to be told to head to a military airfield just outside the capital Khartoum, and on to safety.
A power struggle between Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemeti,” has plunged Sudan into fierce fighting. Around 500 people have died so far, with fighting across the African nation.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced overnight that the two groups had agreed to a 72-hour nationwide cease-fire, beginning at midnight.
Pressure had been growing on the U.K. government to act, following the removal of embassy staff at the weekend and as other nations pressed on with their own extractions.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said flights would be open to people with British passports and that priority would be given to families with children, the elderly or individuals with medical conditions. It added that “British nationals should not make their way to the airfield unless they are called.”
The department added in a statement: “The safety of all British nationals in Sudan continues to be our utmost priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice. The situation remains volatile and our ability to conduct evacuations could change at short notice.”