…By Jack Sylva for TDPel Media.
The British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, has warned Britons trying to flee Sudan’s civil war that evacuation flights may become too dangerous after Thursday night.
He stated that there was no guarantee that the 72-hour ceasefire agreed between the warring parties in Khartoum would be extended beyond midnight in the Sudanese capital.
As a result, he could not guarantee that evacuation flights, which have carried over 500 Britons and some foreign nationals to safety, would continue.
Cleverly urged Britons to move now, stating that it would be much harder to evacuate them after the ceasefire ends.
The Situation in Sudan
Cleverly added that there had been sporadic re-escalation of violence in Khartoum, and there was no guarantee that the ceasefire would make it through to the scheduled endpoint, nor that it could be extended.
He warned that providing guarantees or certainties was impossible, given that this was an active war zone.
Moreover, he said that it was not possible to provide protected convoys from Khartoum to help Britons reach the Wadi Seidna air base used for the evacuation flights, and safe routes did not exist.
A coach organised for Turkish nationals had been fired on, which highlighted the danger.
Response to Criticism
Cleverly also addressed criticism that the number of Britons airlifted out, 536, was lower than those of countries such as France, Germany, Pakistan, and China.
He stated that Britons were scattered around Khartoum, with some having Sudanese wives and children, which might alter their willingness to leave, whereas nationals of other countries lived more closely together in “expat pods,” making it easier to organise their evacuation.
He also rejected claims from Germany that a British evacuation flight had landed in Sudan without clearance from the Sudanese army and caused delays to the efforts of other nations to fly their citizens out.
Analysis and Commentary
The situation in Sudan is volatile and dangerous, with a civil war raging on.
The 72-hour ceasefire agreement between the warring parties in Khartoum provides a small window of opportunity for the safe evacuation of British nationals and foreign nationals.
The Foreign Secretary’s warning that evacuation flights may become too dangerous after the ceasefire expires is a stark reminder of the risks involved.
The lack of safe routes and the absence of protected convoys make it challenging to evacuate Britons from Khartoum to the Wadi Seidna air base.
The criticism levelled against the UK government for airlifting fewer Britons than other countries fails to consider the unique circumstances of each country’s nationals in Sudan.
Britons tend to be scattered around Khartoum, while other countries’ nationals live more closely together.
Additionally, some Britons may have Sudanese wives and children, which might alter their willingness to leave.
The UK government is doing what it can to evacuate British nationals safely, given the circumstances.
The call by the Conservative chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, Alicia Kearns, to make elderly dependants eligible for the airlift is a valid one.
Elderly people dependent on their children should be treated in the same way as children dependent on their parents.
However, given the lack of safe routes and protected convoys, the UK government’s priority is to evacuate British passport holders and their immediate family with existing clearance to enter the UK.