The UK government has launched a frantic rescue effort to extract British nationals stranded in Sudan as a 72-hour ceasefire took effect on Monday evening. The hope is that the ceasefire will allow civilians to flee the violence-torn capital city of Khartoum.
RAF planes and British military personnel are set to be deployed for the operation, with priority given to families with children, the elderly, and those with medical conditions. However, anxious families fear that time is running out.
The ceasefire follows ten days of brutal violence and three previous failed attempts at ceasefires between rival factions of the army, which has led to over 400 deaths. The evacuation plan entails British forces congregating at the UK airbase in Cyprus, ready to fly to Sudan to rescue British nationals trapped in the fighting for several days. The first to be rescued are being asked to make their way to an airbase north of Khartoum before being flown to Cyprus by RAF planes. Some may also be taken to Port Sudan to board a ship to safety.
Foreign nationals have taken a different route, opting to travel by ferry across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, with a British frigate en route in that direction. Nevertheless, the situation remains unstable, as the ceasefire is not holding everywhere, as evidenced by a recording of gunfire captured by a woman hiding under her bed. Those making their way to the airbase will have to assume the risks involved, running the gauntlet of Khartoum.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, “I am very pleased that a has been announced by the leadership of the factions on the ground and therefore we are initiating an evacuation plan. Remember that ceasefires have announced and have fallen apart in evacuation plan. It is important to the past so the situation remains dangerous, volatile.”
MORE FROM UK
Sunak Dismisses His Parliamentary Private Secretary As Tory Calls For Gaza Ceasefire Clash With Party Line
LONDON—In a swift move, PM Rishi Sunak has removed a senior Conservative Party member from his government position as a ministerial aide. Paul Bristow, who served as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) at the science department, faced this action after publicly advocating for a “permanent” ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Bristow had conveyed his…
Keep readingUK Hosts Inaugural Global AI Summit: Musk And UK Prime Minister To Discuss AI Safety
LONDON—Around 100 participants are coming together to discuss unpredictable advances of AI and the potential for humans to lose control of it, at the first global AI summit held at Bletchley Park on November 1 and 2. Elon Musk and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are scheduled to participate in a live interview together on…
Keep readingUK Prime Minister Sunak Ready To Extend Military Assistance To Israel
In a response to the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged support to Israel, vowing to provide diplomatic, intelligence, or security assistance if requested. Number 10 Downing Street affirmed that the United Kingdom stands “ready” to offer military aid to Israel should such assistance be deemed necessary. Furthermore, the…
Keep reading