Ben Wallace praises 'dangerous and precarious' military operation to evacuate British diplomats from Sudan

The Defence Secretary called the successful operation to remove British embassy staff and their families from Sudan "dangerous and precarious".

Ben Wallace told BBC News that more than 1,200 people contributed to the evacuation which involved personnel from 16 Air Assault Brigade, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Marines.

Forces News understands Special Forces personnel were also involved in the evacuation mission.

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Mr Wallace said: "It was dangerous and precarious but, nevertheless, we managed to use both C-130s and A400 aircraft to go in and collect our diplomats and their residents and fly out to safety."

He added that the operation, which was carried out in conjunction with the US and French military, was "an international effort".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that British Armed Forces had carried out the "complex and rapid" military operation on Sunday.

Plans for the evacuations of other British citizens, which one estimate put at up to 4,000 people, have not yet been announced.

The prospect of airlifting large numbers out of Sudan has been complicated by the fact most major airports have become battlegrounds, with movement out of the capital proving perilous.

US special forces reportedly evacuated about 70 American workers from Khartoum on Sunday but Washington has so far said it remains too dangerous to carry out a government co-ordinated mass evacuation of citizens.

The current explosion of violence comes after two generals fell out over a recent internationally brokered deal with democracy activists which was meant to incorporate the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the military and eventually lead to civilian rule.