Getting Brits out of Sudan once ceasefire ends is ‘potentially impossible,’ warns Foreign Secretary as deadline looms
27 April 2023, 09:34 | Updated: 27 April 2023, 10:18
Foreign secretary James Cleverly has said it will be "potentially impossible" to get British citizens out of Sudan once a fraught 72-hour ceasefire ends later today.
As of late last night, 536 Britons had been evacuated from the country on special evacuation flights from an airfield north of the capital Khartoum.
Fighting in a struggle for power has been suspended since Monday night
Mr Cleverly told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on LBC today: "The ceasefire is scheduled to end late tonight. We have aircraft in the air taking people out of Sudan as we speak.
Nick Ferrari grills Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Sudan evacuations
“Whilst there is much uncertainty, what we do know is we have capacity at the moment.”
But he said after the ceasefire ends during a ‘non-permissive environment’ it would be “much, much, much harder - potentially impossible” to get people out.
“It is impossible to say with any certainty what the environment would be like” once the ceasefire ends, he said.
Challenged whether British staff had 'cut and run,' Mr Cleverley said "we removed diplomats that were in direct danger and we replaced them with diplomats who had specific hostile environment training who are on the ground in Sudan supporting British nationals with the evacuation."
Thousands of British nationals in Sudan have been warned that there is no guarantee on further evacuation flights once the ceasefire expires on Thursday night.
Military chiefs said at least 500 people a day can be rescued from an airfield near the capital Khartoum, amid fears bloody clashes will resume when the fragile truce between the warring factions ends.
More than 530 people had been airlifted to safety on six flights as of 9pm on Wednesday, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.
The first plane carrying UK citizens touched down on British soil earlier in the day, having left Larnaca in Cyprus, where they were initially evacuated.
More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered with the FCDO under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the war-torn nation.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was told by military chiefs that flights can continue "for as long as we need to" even if the US-brokered pause in fighting breaks.
Mr Cleverly tweeted yesterday: "The 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan ends tomorrow night (April 27).
"We cannot guarantee how many further flights will depart once the ceasefire ends.
"If you plan to leave Sudan please travel to the British Evacuation Centre as soon as possible."
Only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are being told they are eligible for evacuation.
The UK was reportedly accused of delaying Germany's efforts to evacuate its citizens from Sudan with its mission to rescue British embassy staff at the weekend.
The BBC reported that it was told by senior German political sources that British forces landed in the country without the permission of the Sudanese army, so angering them that they temporarily barred access to the airfield that European nations were hoping to use.
However, a defence source dismissed the claim the UK military arrived without authorisation as "complete nonsense", while the Ministry of Defence denied that Britain was responsible for any delay.
The Government is working to provide other routes out of Sudan, with HMS Lancaster progressing towards Port Sudan, the Red Sea dock some 500 miles from Khartoum that could possibly be used in a seaborne operation.
But with UK nationals being told to make their own way to evacuation sites, that trip would be made particularly challenging by fuel shortages and the traffic of people fleeing.
People arriving at London Stansted Airport on the first evacuation flight were reunited with loved ones in emotional scenes.
Women with small children and babies in prams, as well as elderly individuals in wheelchairs were among those met by family members and friends waiting anxiously in the arrivals lounge.
One man from Sudan, who did not give his name, described his experience as a "nightmare".
Speaking outside the airport, he said: "It's absolutely fantastic to be back. It's been a nightmare. We've never seen anything like it before.
"We saw it on the television before but we never thought it was going to happen to a peaceful country like Sudan.
"Khartoum is like a ghost city, everyone is leaving Khartoum now.
"We are very grateful to the British servicemen and women who risked their lives to come to Sudan and help us out."
