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October 1, 2024UK to run additional evacuation flight from Port Sudan
UK to run additional evacuation flight from Port Sudan
The United Kingdom says it will carry out an additional evacuation flight for British nationals who are still trapped in Sudan on Monday, after officially ceasing the operation from an airfield near Khartoum.
A further journey will take off on Monday from Port Sudan, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Sunday.
Those who qualify, however, must travel to Port Sudan, a coastal city 500 miles from Khartoum, where previous planes took off, according to officials.
The UK has airlifted 2,122 British passport holders and NHS personnel with UK work permits.
Since the beginning of the week, British security services have been investigating Port Sudan as a potential alternate evacuation location and have established a minimal diplomatic presence there.
So far, a Royal Navy frigate – the HMS Lancaster – and Royal Air Force personnel have arrived in Port Sudan while another British vessel is already on its way to facilitate quick evacuation of British nationals.
Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell, had on Saturday, issued a dire warning, saying that the UK “can’t stay [in Sudan] forever” as the security situation in the North African country continued to worsen.
Fighting has intensified in Sudan despite an extended truce between the warring parties , with the civilian death toll rising and thousands more fleeing the war zone on Sunday.
The Sudanese army said on Sunday that it had agreed that a ceasefire with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) would be extended a further 72 hours from when the current ceasefire ends at midnight local time.
The agreed ceasefire could stop attacks in recent days, with gunfire and airstrikes escalating on the streets of the capital Khartoum and other areas.