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UPDATE: Cleverly urges British nationals in Sudan to get to the airport

By David Laycock • Updated: 27 Apr 2023 • 10:35

UPDATE: First British nationals land in Cyprus from Sudan

First British nationals land in Cyprus from Sudan

British nationals should get to the airport urges Cleverly, as Sudan ceasefire may not last.

UPDATE: Thursday, April 27, at 10.20 am

James Cleverly The UK Foreign Secretary, has today April 27, urged UK Nationals to get to the pick-up point at an airfield north of Khartoum, as the ceasefire is due to end later today.

“Now is the time to move”, was his message as reported on Twitter by The BBC.

He has also defended the UK Government’s approach to the evacuations, which have been in some quarters seen as too little, too late. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Different countries have different sets of circumstances. Their nationals in countries don’t all behave the same way. Countries where their nationals tend to live in a close ex-pat community who are geographically co-located, it’s easier for them to move en masse, it’s easier for them to be evacuated.”

But while Saudi Arabia and France have been seen to quickly and efficiently evacuate large groups of citizens of many nationalities, the UK has been accused of moving slowly. They have also seemingly been rather restrictive on who they would evacuate, asking for documentation of citizenship.

Simon Godsen Esq. is one of many reactions to the UK’s approach on Twitter.

More news to come as the ceasefire is expected to end later today.  

UPDATE: Tuesday, April 25, at 21:03 pm

This evening, April 25, 39 British nationals arrived safely in Cyprus having made it safely to the first RAF flight to leave Khartoum as the UK Government Sudan evacuation begins.

The 39 of what is hoped to become 250 people overnight, were reported to be of a broad age from the very young to the very old, with families and the elderly prioritised.

The government has continued to receive criticism for expecting people to make their own way to the airport for evacuation, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the plan, saying to broadcasters:

Mr Sunak said that the next 24 hours will be critical in the rescue mission, as RAF evacuation flights are expected to continue through the night. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, April 25, at 4:46 pm

The Sudan evacuation begins today, April 25, as the agreed ceasefire appears to be holding out overall, despite some reports of gunfire and shelling. British families with children, and the elderly will be prioritised by the RAF rescue mission.

Having come under pressure, not least from those trapped inside Sudan, the UK government will be expected to quickly action this evacuation during a small, and not necessarily stable, window of opportunity.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, as reported by the BBC, has said that there will be no help getting to the airport from where the evacuations will take place but that the planes will hold out as long as possible for evacuees. He added that the situation in Sudan was still: “dangerous, volatile and unpredictable”.

In a recent Twitter post Cleverly said: “We’ve been coordinating with our international partners. We’ve been pushing for assurances from the Sudanese generals. We’re working round the clock to support the evacuation of British nationals from Sudan.”

Many people trapped in Sudan are disappointed at the Government’s plan, saying that getting to the airport was a large risk in itself. The situation on the ground has been described as without law and order, begging the question of how those prioritised elderly people would make it safely to the airport.

Furthermore, the Government has said that only those with British passports and their immediate family with UK entry clearance would be allowed to board the flights, sticking very much to the current government lines on immigration and asylum.

With the opportunity for escape being so brief and potentially foreshortened, it remains to be seen how many will make it to the planes, although it is believed an RAF plan has landed in Cyprus from where British nationals are to be repatriated to the UK.

More to follow.

UPDATE: Monday, April 24, 2023, at 11:10 pm

Rival military factions in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting on Tuesday, April 25, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, as reported by the BBC. 

Blinken was reported to have said in a statement: “Following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to implement a nationwide ceasefire starting at midnight on April 24, to last for 72 hours”.

Although temporary ceasefires have previously been attempted, these haven’t come to fruition. If this one is observed it may give British armed forces the opportunity they have been looking for, to evacuate British citizens trapped by the fighting.

This would be fortuitous for the UK Government, which has fielded criticism of inactivity in its attempts to liberate British nationals from the warzone. Now with a small reconnaissance team on the ground and two naval vessels in the region, they might allay some of this criticism.

More news will follow as it happens.

Monday, April 24, 2023, at 8:52 pm

As fighting intensifies in Khartoum, a UK military team is today, April 24, in Sudan looking to establish a safe evacuation route for British nationals. On Sunday 23, diplomats and their families were airlifted to safety.

The British government has been criticised for showing less interest in the safety of up to 4000 British nationals still stranded there. With near to 2000 of these requesting help, there is a feeling of abandonment.

The BBC understands that the team arrived in Port Sudan to begin the assessment but as yet no decisions on strategy have been reached.

The Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell was quoted by the BBC on Twitter as saying that Khartoum remains: “extremely dangerous” and that no evacuation option comes without: “grave risk to life”.

This is a breaking news story and we will try to keep you updated as more information becomes available.

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Written by

David Laycock

Dave Laycock has always written. Poems, songs, essays, academic papers as well as newspaper articles; the written word has always held a great fascination for him and he is never happier than when being creative. From a musical background, Dave has travelled the world performing and also examining for a British music exam board. He also writes, produces and performs and records music. All this aside, he is currently fully focussed on his journalism and can’t wait to share more stories from around the world and beyond.

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