Sudan news latest: First UK flight takes off in evacuation as war ceasefire rocked by ‘fierce battles’

The first flight carrying British nationals has left Sudan, with two more planned overnight, Downing Street said.

“The first flight has departed and you can expect at least two more flights tonight, but that may change,” Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman told reporters.

British families fleeing Sudan have told The Independent Dodging heavy gunfire and bombing raids in their attempts to flee the war-torn country after the Foreign Office “failed” to secure safe escape routes.

Many have spent thousands fleeing the country themselves after abandoning the Foreign Office after days of no communication, with no automated emails urging them to seek shelter on the ground.

“I have completely given up hope in the system. As of this morning, I have received nothing on a solid evacuation plan. Just advice to stay indoors and call for psychological support,” said the NHS gynecologist and Dr. Lina Bahr from the Egyptian border, where she hoped to get to safety.

“Without a connection, we had to make a decision. We took the risk,” said the mother-of-three, who hired a $20,000 bus with fellow Brits to escape after stray bullets pierced her family’s living room, ran out of food and supplies and her two-year-old fell ill.

While more than 2,000 people have contacted the Federal Foreign Office for help, Dr. Bahr’s husband Ousama Suliman, also an NHS doctor: ‘Pretty much everyone I know has made the overland journey to Egypt.

“Most of the people who have registered with the Foreign Office will not be there to evacuate. When the hotline numbers don’t work, when you can’t reach anyone and then you hear the diplomats say the embassy has been evacuated, you panic.”

Our international correspondent Bel Trew and reporters Tara Cobham Got the full report:

Rishi Sunak said the next 24 hours were “absolutely critical” for the evacuation of British nationals from Sudan as he urged staff at the Foreign Office’s Crisis Center in central London to “stay tuned”.

Thanking the teams working on the evacuation, the Prime Minister said: “Your efforts are really, really helping and making a huge difference.

“Keep it up… The next 24 hours are absolutely critical. We can make a big push like we are already doing and you can help us bring home everyone who wants to come home.”

Africa Secretary Andrew Mitchell, who met Mr Sunak with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly at the crisis centre, told him 200 people are working day and night on Britain’s effort.

The British military stands ready to defend the airfield north of Khartoum, where British citizens were urged to travel “as quickly as possible” to where this afternoon, No 10 said.

But efforts are being made to avoid “active confrontation” with other forces, Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said.

While the government is trying to avoid repeating the scenes during the Kabul evacuation in 2021, the spokesman said: “It is worth noting that international evacuations have been taking place since Sunday and we have not seen any significant problems … or large crowds appearing.”

Downing Street has said Britain has the “capacity” to take on German forces operating Wadi Saeedna airfield near Khartoum, where British nationals hoping to evacuate were earlier told to travel there.

“The Germans are currently running the site, the strip there,” said Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman. “I think should they decide to leave, and there is no indication that we have the capacity to take over the running of this site, which should mean we would continue to allow flights in and out.”

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace previously told MPs that the UK’s evacuation of the airfield could not begin until “the Germans pull out”. Berlin said its last flight would be tonight and that German nationals still stranded in Sudan would be evacuated by other nations.

A British national seeking shelter in Khartoum said there was currently “no clarity” about the government’s plans to evacuate British citizens stranded in Sudan.

Nadir Omara, 56, a consulting psychiatrist who normally works in Madani, south of the capital, traveled to Khartoum to celebrate Eid with friends and family on April 13, two days before fighting broke out.

“You have to keep in mind that communication is very irregular [and] arbitrary – sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t,” Mr Omara said.

“I have already emailed local MPs James Cleverly and Rishi Sunak that we need more guidance. The embassy or consular services numbers were not reachable so we had to rely on seeing the news and services here. That’s very difficult.

“I got an email today about the evacuation [but] There is no clarity on how to do this, other than prioritizing older people and people with families.”

Around Khartoum, shortages of basic necessities such as food and water are worsening and prices for basic goods are skyrocketing, the United Nations warns.

“After 10 days of fighting, shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel are becoming extremely acute, particularly in and around Khartoum,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

It also cited reports that the cost of basic necessities had risen, bottled water prices had doubled and cash was scarce and difficult to access.

Tens of thousands of people have already fled to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan to escape the conflict. But the cost of the flight is skyrocketing – a Khartoum resident told Reuters a bus fare to Egypt has increased almost six-fold to the equivalent of £275 and is only going up “every day”.

The Independent understands the Government hopes the evacuation flights will begin around 5pm or 6pm (UK time).

But Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has made it clear that the British operation cannot begin until the Germans have withdrawn.

Asked by senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood when flights to the UK would start, Mr Wallace said: “If and when the Germans leave. The Germans operate the airport at the moment. So whether and when the Germans withdraw.

“I can’t speculate about the Germans. They are responding to the state of influx of their citizens and their nationals.”

Our interior editor Lizzie Dearden and international correspondent Bel Trew Report:

Sudanese refugees are being criminalized and deported from Britain because there are no safe and legal escape routes for most people fleeing the conflict.

The British government does not plan to set up a tailor-made program for the country, as is the case for Ukraine and Afghanistan, The Independent only understands and evacuates UK citizens and Embassy staff.

“The Foreign Office has just contacted my father and told him they can only evacuate him and his sister but not my grandmother as she is not a British citizen,” said the doctor, who chose to go to Dr. A calls, this newspaper on Tuesday.

“The UK cannot expect him to evacuate and leave his 87-year-old mother alone in the middle of the war in Khartoum. The house is close to the fights at the airport. It’s inhuman. This is not acceptable. My father will not leave his mother, he will not go.”