Sudan war: Rishi Sunak hails brave rescue effort to evacuate British diplomats from Sudan

Rishi Sunak has hailed the brave efforts of the UK’s armed forces after they swooped into Sudan to help British diplomats and their families to escape fighting.

The Prime Minister said the British military had undertaken a “difficult” operation to evacuate UK officials from Sudan following fears embassy staff could be targeted. Hundreds have died in a bloody conflict between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.

Sunak tweeted: “UK armed forces have completed a complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan, amid a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff. I pay tribute to the commitment of our diplomats and bravery of the military personnel who carried out this difficult operation.”

US special forces evacuated some 70 US embassy staff from Khartoum to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia early on Sunday, after a week of fighting hindered rescue efforts

It comes after the military said army chief General Abdel Fattah Burhan had spoken to leaders of various countries requesting safe evacuations of their citizens and diplomats from Sudan, which has been hit by violence for the past week. Countries have struggled to bring out their citizens amid deadly clashes that have killed more than 400 people so far.

Countries scamble to evacuate officials

With Sudan’s main international airport closed, foreign countries have ordered their citizens to shelter in place until they can figure out evacuation plans. Gen Burhan said diplomats from Saudi Arabia had already been taken out of Port Sudan and airlifted back to the kingdom. He said Jordan’s diplomats will soon be evacuated in the same way.

Although American officials said it was still too dangerous to carry out a government-co-ordinated mass evacuation of private citizens, other countries were scrambling to evacuate their citizens and diplomats. France, Greece and other European countries said on Sunday (23 April) they were organising evacuations for embassy employees and nationals, along with some citizens of allied countries.

French foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said France was undertaking the operation with the help of European partners. The Greek foreign minister said the country had dispatched aircraft and special forces to its ally, Egypt, in preparation for an evacuation of 120 Greek and Cypriot nationals from Khartoum. Most had sought shelter at a Greek Orthodox cathedral in the capital in recent days, Nikos Dendias said.

The Netherlands had sent two air force Hercules C-130 planes and an Airbus A330 to Jordan ahead of a possible rescue mission. “We deeply sympathise with the Dutch in Sudan and will make every effort to evacuate people where and when possible,” defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said.

Italy had dispatched military jets to the Gulf of Aden nation of Djibouti to prepare for the evacuation of 140 Italian nationals in Sudan, many of whom had already taken refuge in the embassy. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said the department’s crisis unit was in touch with stranded citizens.

The fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the powerful paramilitary group, known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has targeted and paralysed the country’s main international airport, reducing a number of civilian aircraft to ruins and destroying at least one runway.

Reports had suggested that UK ministers have put forces on standby should an airlift operation be required to allow British embassy staff and other citizens based in the country to escape. The Foreign Office said it was not commenting on reports of a military evacuation.

Foreign Office issues advise to Brits in Sudan

A UK Government spokesman said: “We are coordinating across Government and with our international partners to provide the best ongoing consular assistance to British nationals and support for our diplomatic staff. We will continue to issue updates as the situation develops.

“The Ministry of Defence is supporting the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office with prudent planning for various contingencies.” The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office advice to British nationals in Sudan remains the same, urging them to register their presence with the department and to stay indoors.

“There must be a ceasefire in Sudan”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired meetings of senior ministers on Thursday (20 April) and Friday (21 April) about the situation in Sudan, with the sessions attended by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace among others. Cleverly decided to cut short a Pacific tour due to the deteriorating situation in Sudan.

Sunak on Friday spoke with the president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, on Friday to discuss the situation in Sudan. Djibouti is a small country on the Horn of Africa, sharing a border with Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

It also is home to a US airbase, with Washington making preparations to evacuate their citizens in Sudan. Most major airports in Sudan have become battlegrounds and movement out of the capital Khartoum to safer areas is dangerous, meaning alternative air bases have been sought out in the region.

The US military is moving assets to Djibouti for a possible evacuation of American embassy personnel, administration officials have said. Japan also plans to send military planes to the former French colony.

A No 10 spokesman, offering a readout of Sunak’s call with his counterpart in Djibouti, said: “President Guelleh updated on his discussions with the parties in Sudan and both leaders reiterated calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to talks. They agreed that the United Kingdom and Djibouti would continue to co-ordinate efforts to de-escalate the violence and protect civilians, including our citizens.”

The Foreign Secretary tweeted saying: “The UK’s position is clear. There must be a ceasefire in Sudan. I’m in contact with key partners to work towards resolving this conflict peacefully.”