An additional evacuation flight is running from the east of the country today (Picture: Getty / AP / Reuters)
UK citizens attempting to flee Sudan are scrambling to reach an airport before final rescue efforts cease in the country.
An additional evacuation flight is running from the Port Sudan International Airport in the east of the country today, with those hoping to escape urged to arrive by midday in order to be processed for the journey.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the extra flight is ‘exceptional’ and will allow for the removal of a ‘limited’ number of UK nationals who remain in the North African country.
A further three-day humanitarian ceasefire was agreed between clashing groups in Sudan yesterday, despite reports of outbreaks of violence during last week’s ceasefire.
More than 2,100 people have been evacuated by the British government on 23 flights from the Wadi Saeedna airfield near Khartoum.
But it is thought around 1,000 UK passport holders may remain.
The UK ceased its mission evacuating citizens from the war-torn country on Saturday as the armistice began to break down, but put on the extra flight following the announcement of the further uneasy ceasefire.
Members of the US military assisting US nationals fleeing the war-torn country from the Port of Sudan yesterday (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the extra flight to the UK is ‘exceptional’ (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
Those hoping to escape are urged to arrive by midday in order to be processed for the journey (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
Foreign secretary James Cleverly said: ‘Evacuation flights have ended from Wadi Saeedna but our rescue efforts continue from Port Sudan.’
He added the UK will continue to advocate for a long-term end to the conflict along with its international allies.
NHS doctors without UK passports will also be allowed on the final evacuation journeys following criticism of the government’s eligibility criteria.
Previously only British nationals and their immediate family were allowed to board the flights.
The government’s decision not to provide escorts for those making dangerous journeys across war zones to get to the airport was also criticised.
More than 2,100 people have been evacuated by the British government on 23 flights so far (Picture: Reuters)
Flights have been travelling via Cyprus before heading on to the UK and landing at Stansted Airport (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
What you need to know about the war in Sudan
How did the war start?
The current fighting is the result of a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The paramilitary group, which was originally created by dictator Omar al-Bashir to crush a rebellion in the western region of Darfur, cooperated with the army to overthrow the autocrat in 2019.
This was supposed to precede Sudan’s transition to a democratic government, a move backed by western nations.
The north African country saw more than two years of power-sharing between the military and civilian leaders but a coup brought this to an end in October 2021.
Sudan was left with the army’s general, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, as Sudan’s de facto ruler and the RSF’s general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, as vice-president.
What sparked the recent escalation?
The Sudanese people and the international community continued to push for a new transition to democracy after the coup.
The plan was to get Sudan to a point where civilian parties would have control over the military, which the RSF would be dissolved into.
But there has long been tension surrounding the details of this arrangement, namely the proposed timeline – the army wanted the integration complete in two years but the RSF insisted on waiting 10.
Nevertheless, negotiations looked hopeful with a final deal due to be signed earlier this month, before a new phase of fighting broke out on April 15.
The army pointed the finger at the RSF for mobilising troops to key strategic sites in the capital of Khartoum and the RSF claimed it was just responding to the army’s alleged plot to seize full power with Bashir loyalists.
The Foreign Office has been supported by the armed forces and border force staff, with HMS Lancaster and the RAF sent to the area.
Flights have been travelling via Cyprus – which has activated a rescue mechanism for evacuating civilians from third-world countries – before heading on to the UK and landing at Stansted Airport.
British citizens have told of their efforts to escape Sudan, with many having to risk their lives by walking for hours through streets ravaged by gunfire and explosions.
Tarig Babikir, who walked to the airport 10 miles away by foot, said: ‘It’s complete anarchy right now, complete chaos. Anyone can rob you, anyone can shoot you.’
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Other families have spoken of their relief following their reunion back in the UK.
One couple, called Reem and Nagi, were filmed in a tight embrace at Stansted Airport after fearing they would never be reunited.
Reem, a radiology registrar in Newcastle, told Sky News: ‘I received an email at 3am saying he could board the last plane.
‘Nagi was, at the time, 10 hours from the airfield. By the time he got there the area was being bombed and I felt like I’d dragged him from safety right into war.’
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An additional evacuation flight is running from the east of the country today.