Get out ‘now’, UK tells citizens as time is running out to flee Sudan conflict before truce ends
- ‘When this ceasefire ends … we might not be able to evacuate,’ Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warns
- A 72-hour ceasefire is due to end at midnight Sudan time, at which point violence could escalate, Foreign Office says
British citizens in Sudan must board evacuation flights leaving Thursday or risk being trapped in the country when conflict resumes, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.
“Now is the time to move because, when this ceasefire ends, my ability to give the kind of limited assurance that I can give now might go. We might not be able to evacuate,” Cleverly told Sky News on Thursday.
“We have a number of flights going today and so what I’m saying is get to the airport now whilst we can still facilitate your exit.”
The UK is currently operating evacuation flights to help British nationals and their dependents leave Sudan. Flights are leaving from Wadi Saeedna airfield while Khartoum International Airport is closed.
A 72-hour ceasefire is due to end at midnight Sudan time, at which point violence could escalate, the Foreign Office said. As of Wednesday evening 536 people had been evacuated from Sudan on six UK flights.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister of neighbouring South Sudan said his president had secured an agreement from military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to extend the ceasefire from April 28 to allow civilians and others to secure necessary medical aid, food and essential supplies. International diplomats were also pushing for a deal to extend the truce.
However, previous deals to silence the guns were breached as quickly as they were agreed, with both sides accusing the other of reneging on the agreement.