Sudan: UK seaborne evacuation being considered

Report from BBC News LIVE Reporting 

Tuesday 25 Apr 2023 15:44 BST UK

Seaborne evacuation being considered - UK defence secretary

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace [pictured] says the Royal Marines are scoping out a possible seaborne evacuation from Port Sudan, some 500 miles (800km) away from the intense fighting in the capital, Khartoum. It is a more benign environment, it is an access into the Red Sea and to commercial airports in places like Jeddah (in Saudi Arabia) and gives us space and time in order to process many people there," he said.

He said Royal Marines were already in Port Sudan to "establish the safety of the area and any options" so "we are in a good position there should we wish to increase support". 

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British diplomats evacuated from Sudan by 1,200 personnel Air Assault Brigade, Royal Marines, RAF

Breaking news from BBC News UK

By Antoinette Radford

Sunday 23 April 2023 c.13:40 - full copy

British diplomats evacuated from Sudan

British diplomats and their families have been evacuated from Sudan in a "complex and rapid" operation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed. 

Mr Sunak said work was continuing to ensure the safety of British nationals who remain in Sudan.

The evacuees were taken to an airfield outside of Khartoum to fly out of the country overnight, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC.

Fierce violence erupted last week in Khartoum between two opposing forces.

The power struggle between Sudan's regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has seen deadly shooting and shelling in the capital city.

Foreign Minister James Cleverly added that the government was working "around the clock to broker international support to end the bloodshed in Sudan." 

Mr Wallace also thanked France and the United States for their assistance in the operation in an interview with the BBC. 

He said the operation involved more than 1,200 British personnel from the Air Assault Brigade, Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force.

The UK's move follows the evacuation of US diplomats in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Fewer than 100 people were evacuated when three Chinook helicopters landed near the US embassy to collect them.

Several other countries including France, the Netherlands and Italy have also begun evacuating citizens from Sudan. 

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Updated versions here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65367019