First British evacuees from Sudan set to return to UK today

The first British evacuees from Sudan are set to finally touch down on UK soil later today, as the first two flights take off from the embattled north-east African country.

After completing the danger-fraught journey from their homes to the airport, the UK nationals have been transported across the Mediterranean Sea to Larnaca Airport in Cyprus.

The first charter flight to London is due to depart later today, with a third plane planned to rescue more people from war-torn capital city Khartoum by this morning.

Around 260 people were believed to have been evacuated on the first three flights, with 40 on board the first plane which left the country yesterday morning.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged ‘many more’ will follow, as he warned of a ‘critical’ 24 hours.

According to the government’s own estimates, there are at least 2,000 UK nationals in Sudan, though there have been suggestions the number could be above 4,000.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told LBC Radio there is ‘some risk that some of the planes are not full’, as there are ‘not thousands at the gate’ like during the 2021 airlift from Afghanistan.

The government has told British nationals to make their own way to the airport, with some fearing they will not make it due to a petrol shortage.

British forces will take charge of the Wadi Saeedna airstrip near the capital later today, Mr Wallace said.

They will be taking over control from Germany, after Berlin said its final evacuation flight would leave last night.

Speaking yesterday, the defence secretary said: ‘The Germans are leaving tomorrow, and we will take over the facilitation at the airfield.

‘And the reason the Germans are leaving is people have stopped coming in large numbers.’

In an apparent swipe at the UK’s prioritisation of embassy staff, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin would not leave civilians ‘to their own devices’, ‘unlike in other countries’.

At the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) crisis centre, Mr Sunak defended the arrangement, saying diplomats ‘were being targeted’.

He added: ‘The security situation on the ground in Sudan is complicated, it is volatile and we wanted to make sure we could put in place processes that are going to work for people, that are going to be safe and effective.’

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