Almost 2,500 people fleeing Sudan violence evacuated on UK flights, Cleverly says

Foreign Secretary says focus is now on humanitarian assistance and securing long-term ceasefire

A family boards an RAF Plane bound for Cyprus during the evacuation from Wadi Saeedna air base in Sudan. UK Ministry of Defence Crown copyright / PA
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The British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said the UK evacuated almost 2,500 people to safety from Sudan on 30 evacuation flights.

A total of 2,450 people were helped during the “longest and largest” evacuation of any western country, with the final flight departing Port Sudan on Wednesday evening, Mr Cleverly said.

Most of those evacuated from the country were British nationals and their dependents, the government said.

The UK helped to evacuate 1,200 people from other nations, including the US, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, Germany and Australia.

Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Burhan and his rival Gen Mohamed Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, were allies in an October 2021 military coup that halted Sudan’s fraught transition to democracy, but they have since turned on each other.

“We remain focused on supporting those who are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and continue to press for a long-term ceasefire,” Mr Cleverly said.

The latest from the crisis in Sudan - in pictures

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “I am truly grateful for the dedication and professionalism of the men and women of our Armed Forces, who have evacuated more than 2,000 people from Sudan from over 20 countries and continue to provide medical and humanitarian support from Port Sudan, supported by the Royal Air Force.

“Their efforts are a source of national pride.”

The UK said it was providing an initial £5 million ($6.3 million) of aid in South Sudan and Chad to help those fleeing the violence.

“The package we have announced today will provide food, shelter, medical care and clean water for tens of thousands of people who have fled the violence in Sudan," international development minister Andrew Mitchell said.

“While this aid will help alleviate some of the immediate suffering in the region, the ongoing violence is creating huge additional needs.

“The UK continues to pursue all diplomatic avenues to end the violence, de-escalate tensions and secure safe humanitarian access, including engaging with the African Union and partners to help co-ordinate these efforts.

"There can be no aid without safe access and a ceasefire which is permanent.

We failed to stop Sudan crisis, says UN chief - video

We failed to stop Sudan crisis, says UN chief

U. N secretary General Antonio Guterres attends a press conference during a visit to the U. N.  office in the capital Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, May 3, 2023.  Guterres said the international community needs to come together and put pressure on warring generals in Sudan for the conflict to end.  (AP Photo / Khalil Senosi)

UK evacuation flights travelled through Cyprus.

Several MPs this week raised concerns over cases they needed help with, including an 11-month-old boy and a heavily pregnant woman.

The UK has said officials continue to help those wanting to leave Sudan.

A renewed 72-hour ceasefire was due to end at midnight on Wednesday in Sudan, with the Foreign Office warning “violence could escalate”.

Martin Griffiths, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator, arrived in Port Sudan on Wednesday to seek guarantees for the safe passage of aid deliveries.

“It’s not as if we’re asking for the moon," Mr Griffiths said. "We’re asking for the movement of humanitarian supplies and people. We do this in every other country, even without ceasefires."

He told BBC Radio 4 that it was “unfair” to suggest the UN did not see the conflict coming or was slow to respond.

“There are a lot of people didn’t see it coming. A lot of people in Sudan who didn’t see it coming," Mr Griffiths said.

“Maybe we were derelict in our duty. Maybe we were derelict in our responsibility. Fine, that’s yesterday.

"What we’re talking about today is doing something that is consistent with our values.”

Updated: May 05, 2023, 5:03 AM