2197 evacuated from Sudan by the UK

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has announced that 2197 people have been safely evacuated from Sudan by the UK, in what they say is the longest and largest airlift by any Western nation during the crisis.

The UK Government will not run any further evacuation flights from Wadi Saeedna airfield because of a decline in the number of British nationals coming forward and an increasingly volatile situation on the ground.

A UK team is now in place at Port Sudan to provide consular assistance, including to British nationals leaving by commercial routes.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly said: "With thanks to the extraordinary efforts of staff and military, the UK has brought 2197 people to safety from Sudan so far - the largest airlift by any Western nation.

"As the focus turns to humanitarian and diplomatic efforts, we will continue do all we can to press for a long-term ceasefire and an immediate end to the violence in Sudan.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace said: "Yet again the men and women of our Armed Forces have led the way. In one week, the RAF have flown more than 20 flights, deployed over a thousand personnel, evacuated over 2,000 civilians and helped citizens from more than 20 countries to get home.

"HMS Lancaster will remain at Port Sudan and her crew will continue to help provide support."

International development minister Andrew Mitchell was in Nairobi over the weekend, meeting with Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto and African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat to discuss the conflict in Sudan.

The UK Ambassador to Sudan was also deployed to Addis Ababa last week to support the UK’s diplomatic regional response to Sudan from the British Embassy in Ethiopia.

Image: Shosholoza, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons