Sudan: British forces 'on standby' to evacuate British citizens

It’s reported that UK ministers have put Armed Forces on standby should an airlift operation be required to allow British embassy staff and other citizens to escape Sudan. 

A UK government spokesperson said: "We recognise that the situation is extremely concerning for British nationals trapped by the fighting in Sudan." 

Hundreds of people have been killed since street battles erupted in Khartoum between two rival factions of the Sudanese military government.  

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The Ministry of Defence is working with the Foreign Office to prepare for a number of contingencies. 

The BBC reported that a statement from the Sudanese Army said that nationals from the UK, US, France and China are to be evacuated from Sudan "in the coming hours".  

Army chief Fattah al-Burhan agreed to facilitate the evacuations of the foreign nationals.  

The Army chief is fighting with a rival paramilitary faction called the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo. 

Both are prominent members of the current military government which was formed after a coup that ousted long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019. 

The two factions have been battling for dominance since April 15.  

Foreign nationals have been stuck in war-torn Khartoum due to international airports being shut.  

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office advice to British nationals in Sudan is to register their presence with the department and to stay indoors. 

The two warring factions agreed to a three-day ceasefire to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr but have not followed through with the agreement. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired a Civil Contingencies Committee this morning with key ministers, including the Defence Secretary and Africa minister. 

Mr Sunak also spoke with the president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, on Friday to discuss the situation in Sudan. 

Djibouti is a small country separated from Sudan by Eritrea and Ethiopia and is home to a US airbase.

Due to the airports in Sudan being engulfed in violence, emergency plans have to be made for potential evacuations from nearby countries.  

The US military is moving assets to Djibouti for a possible evacuation of American embassy personnel, administration officials have said.

A No 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister had spoken to his counterpart in Djibouti, saying: “President Guelleh updated on his discussions with the parties in Sudan 

“They agreed that the United Kingdom and Djibouti would continue to coordinate efforts to de-escalate the violence and protect civilians, including our citizens.” 

Although Sudan is not a member of the Commonwealth, it has a significant historical relationship with Britain. Sudan was governed under an unusual agreement between the UK and Egypt, as they jointly ruled the country from 1899 until Sudan gained independence in 1956.