British commander of Sudan evacuation says operation is fast-moving and dangerous

The commander of the UK's operation to evacuate British nationals from Sudan says the mission is "fast-moving, complex and dangerous".

Around 1,400 tri-service personnel are involved in the race against time operation which is being carried out during a 72-hour ceasefire.

Brigadier Dan Reeve, the Joint Task Force Commander, spoke to Forces News about the situation in Sudan, with the ceasefire due to end at 10pm on Thursday.

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He said evacuees told him the fighting in Khartoum (the Sudanese capital) went from nothing to artillery in the space of 45 minutes, "so this was a very fast flash-to-bang operation".

"Speaking with those people who have been there and, indeed, with the diplomats that we have evacuated, we're seeing in many cases uncontrolled violence.

"Somebody described it as though some of the elements fighting are almost like playing a Call of Duty game and shooting up anybody, be that civilian or other fighters, who they can see on the ground. 

"That is the type of fast-moving and fluid and complicated, dangerous situation that we are facing."

Brig Reeve said they were planning on flying out around 500 evacuees a day, using five A400M and C-130J aircraft.

He added the number of flights could be increased if needed but that, at the moment, they were comfortably managing the rate of flow that people were arriving.

Also, as agreed by the UK Government, the British effort will fill spaces on their aircraft with people from other nations if there is the capacity. 

Brig Reeve said that this was a "multi-nation effort, helping the maximum number of people in the shortest and safest way".

He said the UK was working closely with other nations, including the Sudanese forces on the ground at Wadi Saeedna airport, along with Germany, Norway and Sweden. 

The UK was able to mobilise quickly because "we have forces on extreme and very high readiness to do precisely this".

"My own headquarters, the Joint Force Headquarters for example has people on four hours' notice to move, precisely to come and do this task.

"We have a range of very high readiness capabilities which means the UK is able to respond to this type of scenario faster than almost any other nation in the world," he added.