British Military Evacuates 301 From War-Torn Sudan

British nationals being evacuated by UK military personnel from Khartoum, Sudan, on April 25, 2023. PO Phot Arron Hoare/Ministry of Defence via PA Media

Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) has airlifted 301 people out of Sudan over four flights, Downing Street has announced.

Another RAF flight was preparing to depart the Wadi Saeedna airstrip near the capital of Khartoum on Wednesday afternoon, with a further three flights expected later in the day.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman told reporters: “Currently we have evacuated 301 people. There is another flight loading right now. The response from Khartoum is running smoothly. Four flights have departed already, another is loading now.

“We’re calling everyone forward and we have no issue with capacity, and people are being processed smoothly.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak departs 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament, in London, on April 26, 2023. Stefan Rousseau/PA Media

About 2,000 UK citizens in Sudan have registered with the British Embassy for evacuation, but the true number of British nationals in the war-torn country could be higher.

Eight evacuation flights will have left Sudan for Cyprus by the end of the day, the spokesman said.

The majority of the people on the planes are British nationals but some are citizens of allied countries, he said.

At around 2:30 p.m. UK time, the first plane bringing British evacuees home landed at Stansted Airport.

There were children on the flight, a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

Fragile Ceasefire

At least 459 people have been killed in a bloody conflict between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, which broke out on April 15.

The UK government said on Sunday that the British military had evacuated UK diplomats and their families from Sudan.

Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, April 22, 2023. The Canadian Press/AP, Marwan Ali

But ministers came under mounting pressure to evacuate British nationals trapped in the war zone following reports that Britain’s European allies had already airlifted hundreds of their citizens out of the country.

Western governments have been trying to evacuate their citizens from the war-torn country during a 72-hour ceasefire agreed by the warring parties.

According to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the truce—which started at 10 p.m. GMT on Monday—had been agreed between the warring parties after 48 hours of negotiations.

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

Families with children or elderly relatives, or individuals with medical conditions, are prioritised for the flights.

Britons would need to make their own way to the airbase without an escort.

A British Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules military transport that was carrying evacuees from Sudan is pictured on the tarmac at Larnaca International Airport, in Cyprus, on April 26, 2023. Christina Assi/AFP via Getty Images

Downing Street said on Wednesday that British nationals have not encountered major problems on their way to the airbase.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said, “From the information we are getting from those who are making their way, we are not seeing those who are making that travel having significant issues.”

He also said the evacuation operation at the airbase is proceeding well and has not been disrupted.

“We’re not seeing any evidence as it stands that we will have to leave the airport imminently. We are still processing people through in an orderly and manageable way,” he said.

There have not been “large-scale problems” of non-British passport holders turning up and being told they are not eligible, according to the spokesman.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden will chair another emergency Cobra meeting on Sudan on Wednesday afternoon, Downing Street said.

‘Brave British Personnel’

Some 120 British service personnel have been sent to the airbase where the operation is being carried out, but the security of the site is being maintained by the Sudanese armed forces.

The military is ready to use force if needed if the site comes under attack, although the troops are primarily there to help with logistics and providing air traffic control.

The Foreign Office said other exit routes are being considered, with two British military ships—RFA Cardigan Bay and HMS Lancaster—being lined up for possible evacuations.

HMS Lancaster is currently progressing towards Port Sudan, the Red Sea dock some 500 miles from Khartoum that could possibly be used in a seaborne operation.

At the start of Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, both Sunak and opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to the British evacuation effort

The prime minister told MPs: “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.”

Labour leader Starmer also commended the “brave British personnel” involved, adding the government “must do everything in its power” to urgently free Britons trapped there.

PA Media contributed to this report.