Sudan: UK government begins large-scale evacuation of British people

The UK is beginning a "large-scale" complex evacuation of British people from Sudan, PM Rishi Sunak has said.

Families with children, the elderly and people with medical conditions will be prioritised on RAF flights leaving from an airfield near the capital Khartoum.

The government said it has started contacting British nationals in Sudan.

Rival military factions agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire from Monday night. At least 400 people have been killed in fighting since 15 April.

Ministers have come under increasing pressure to help UK citizens flee the fierce fighting.

Around 4,000 UK citizens are thought to be in Sudan and 2,000 of them have already requested help, Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell said on Monday.

Only British passport holders and their immediate family with existing UK entry clearance are eligible, the government has said.

Many have spent days indoors with food and drink running low and no electricity or wifi.

Several have spoken of their anger at being left behind, while other foreign nationals and embassy staff were flown out.

On Sunday, the UK airlifted diplomats and their families out of Sudan in a military operation.

The ceasefire in Sudan appears to be holding so far after taking effect at midnight on Monday (22:00 GMT), but the Foreign Office has warned the ability to carry out evacuations could change at short notice.

There were no reports of sounds of gunfire overnight and the streets of Khartoum remain largely empty.

Sir Nicholas Kay, a former UK ambassador to Sudan, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the situation in Khartoum was precarious and the security situation could change rapidly because there was no trust between the two sides in the conflict.

Alicia Kearns, Conservative MP and chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said current information was that the ceasefire was holding which was an "enormous relief".

She urged British citizens to sit tight, adding: "We don't need a rush at the airport."

Asked on BBC Breakfast what help there was for others in Sudan, Ms Kearns said the government could not evacuate people who were not British nationals.

Hundreds of people have been airlifted from Sudan by other countries, including more than 1,000 people by European Union nations.

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