Report from BBC News
Sunday 23 April 2023 c 01:50 GMT UK
Sudan fighting: Limited evacuation of foreigners begins
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Those evacuated to Saudi Arabia on Saturday were welcomed at Jeddah Sea Port with sweets and roses
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The UK government is considering ways to evacuate its embassy staff from Sudan, as fighting between rival armies continues in the capital Khartoum.
More than 150 people were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah on Saturday - mostly nationals of Gulf countries.
Khartoum airport has been repeatedly targeted and Canada's government says no flights are possible yet.
It has told Canadians in Sudan to "shelter in a safe place".
Describing the security situation as "highly volatile", the Canadian government travel advice tells citizens to keep their phones charged, their doors and windows locked and "consider leaving the country if there's a safe means to do so".
"With the airports and airspace closed, no air evacuations from Sudan are possible at this time," it says.
Meanwhile the UK has set up a hotline for those who need urgent help, and has urged its citizens in Sudan to tell the Foreign Office online or by phone where they are.
Any UK evacuation is expected to be very limited and focus on diplomatic staff - not comparable to the mass evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021.
Saturday's evacuation to Jeddah - the first since violence in Khartoum erupted last week - saw citizens, diplomats and international officials travel by sea. As well as Gulf nations, there were also citizens from Egypt, Pakistan and Canada.
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