Sudan war: government says evacuation effort from warzone 'extremely successful', but UK mission not over yet

Downing Street said the British military stands ready to defend the airfield in Sudan but said efforts would be made to avoid “active engagement” with other forces.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “It’s worth emphasising that international evacuations have been taking place since Sunday and we haven’t seen any significant issues… or large crowds appearing.”

German forces are currently running the Wadi Saeedna airfield, but No10 has said the RAF and army could take over if required. The PM's spokesperson added: "I think should they choose to leave, and there’s no indication of that, we have the capacity to take over running that site so that should mean we would continue to allow flights to run in and out."

Rishi Sunak defended the UK’s approach to removing British citizens from Sudan against criticism that the Foreign Office is failing those stuck in Khartoum.

Asked about accusations that the Government is not helping citizens in the capital, the Prime Minister said: “I’m pleased that we were actually one of the first countries to safely evacuate our diplomats and our families.

“And it was right that we prioritised them because they were being targeted.

“The security situation on the ground in Sudan is complicated, it is volatile and we wanted to make sure we could put in place processes that are going to work for people, that are going to be safe and effective.”

He confirmed more flights would be carried out on Wednesday. So far one had taken off, with two more expected to evacuate British nationals and their family members overnight.

“We now have over 100 people on the ground in Sudan. The first flight has already left with British nationals, we’ll have more flights this evening and we’ll have many more into tomorrow,” the Prime Minister told broadcasters.

Sunak said more than 1,000 people have been contacted and many are making their way to the airfield.

Africa minister Andrew Mitchell has warned the Foreign Affairs Committee that Sudan could be heading for a "humanitarian disaster".

He said: “There is going to be a humanitarian catastrophe there with the position at the moment in terms of food and the humanitarian relief. Most of the humanitarian workers are leaving and they will not be able to come back until there is a ceasefire.”

“Five of them have already been murdered.”

However, he said that the UK government could not predict the situation in Sudan. Mitchell said: “This isn’t an ideological battle, this is a battle between two generals for power.

"There is no ideology involved in this, it’s raw power being fought over. One might have hoped that this would never happen given the appalling humanitarian jeopardy it has placed so many people in.”

He added: “We would not have expected that these two generals would have slugged it out in this way on a totally non-ideological issue, let alone deploy heavy weapons in built-up areas.”

The first plane sent to help evacuate UK nationals from Sudan has landed in Cyprus.

The flight, carrying a total of 39 people, has landed at Larnaca airport in Cyprus.

Further flights carrying UK national out of the war-torn country are expected to leave throughout the night.

Good morning, and welcome to NationalWorld's live blog on the Sudan evacuation. These are the main news updates from overnight:

A third evacuation flight from Sudan has now touched down in Cyprus, it has been reported.

The BBC’s Nick Garnett, who is currently in capital city Larnaca, confirmed another rescue plane had landed at the airport.

One arrived late last night, and another in the early hours of this morning (26 April).

The government has said it has about a 48-hour window in which to evacuate as many people as possible - so the most important thing is getting British nationals out of Sudan.

As a result, the RAF rescue plane is dropping people off in Cyprus - which is roughly halfway between Sudan and the UK. It then heads back to Khartoum to pick up the remaining evacuees, who will later be flown to the UK.

The Foreign Office has shared images on Twitter of what those arriving in Cyprus can expect.

Photographs show a table with water, food and first aid kits.

The UK Foreign Office has been urging British nationals to make their way to the Wadi Saeedna airfield - but many are reporting that the journey there is too dangerous.

Others meanwhile started to try to escape Sudan without the help of the British Army, as the initial government advice of staying indoors and awaiting contact had not been “a viable option”.

This is what happened to the mother of British citizen Saleh El-Khalifa, who is attempting to cross the border to Saudia Arabia with her 86-year-old father, who suffers from a terminal illness.

Mr Khalifa told BBC Breakfast the journey was “beyond challenging” - but that his mother and grandfather had decided to go ahead as information from the government had been “very limited”.

He explained: “The majority of people have had to move to ensure their own life and safety, which is a situation no-one should have to be put in. It is at the point now where my mum might be trying to get into Saudi Arabia as she believes it would be a safer route back to the UK as opposed to being told at the last moment where these flights are taking off.

“We heard about one of the first flights yesterday that it was only on the ground for less than half an hour and the location was being shared very minimally. Even if my mum had been told of the right time, the timeframe she would have had to get there would have been almost impossible.”

Once evacuees arrive at the airfield, they are generally reporting no issues - with help available from government officials and army officers.

The BBC’s Nick Garnett, who is on the ground at Larnaca Airport in Cyrprus, reported: “While many people I have spoken to were terrified making their way to the airfield, they said that once they made contact with the British officials at the base, everything went smoothly.”

Sudanese people living in the capital Khartoum and the neighbouring city of Omdurman have reported sporadic clashes early on Wednesday between the military and a rival paramilitary force. But the Associated Press is reporting that residents have said the intensity of fighting had dwindled on the second day of a three-day truce.

Many residents of the capital emerged from their homes to seek food and water, lining up at bakeries or grocery shops, witnesses said. Some inspected stores or homes that had been destroyed or looted during the fighting. Others joined the tens of thousands who have been streaming out of the city in recent days.

“There is a sense of calm in my area and neighbourhoods,” said Mahasen Ali, a tea vendor who lives in a southern neighbourhood of Khartoum. “But all are afraid of what’s next.”

She said that despite the relative lull, the sound of gunfire and explosions could still be heard in the city.

Clashes were centred on more limited pockets of Khartoum and Omdurman, residents said, mainly around the military’s headquarters and the Republican Palace, the seat of power.

An exchange of fire rattled the upmarket Kafouri neighbourhood, where many fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are deployed.

The relative reduction of fighting on Wednesday was a rare moment of easing for the millions of Sudanese who have been caught in the crossfire since the forces of the country’s two top generals went to war with each other on April 15.

Read more about the cause of the civil war here.