Sudan factions agree 72-hour ceasefire as UK scrambles to get Brits out of deadly conflict

24 April 2023, 13:21 | Updated: 24 April 2023, 21:35

Sudanese factions fighting a civil war have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire as the UK scrambles to get Brits out of the country.

The US secretary of state Antony Blinken said it would give Sudan's armed forces and the opposing militia, the Rapid Support Forces, a chance to talk.

It comes after a team of British troops was "flown into Sudan on a reconnaissance mission" as the UK government works out options to help extract citizens.

Mr Blinken said: "Following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to implement a nationwide ceasefire starting at midnight on April 24, to last for 72 hours. During this period, the United States urges the SAF and RSF to immediately and fully uphold the ceasefire.

"To support a durable end to the fighting, the United States will coordinate with regional and international partners, and Sudanese civilian stakeholders, to assist in the creation of a committee to oversee the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements in Sudan.

"We will continue to work with the Sudanese parties and our partners toward the shared goal of a return to civilian government in Sudan."

Britain has been scrambling to get its citizens out as Khartoum, the capital, was engulfed in fighting. The danger of the mission was clear to all when it was announced a French special forces operator was seriously hurt after being shot during an evacuation attempt.

The British troops landed at Port Sudan, on the Red Sea, on Monday, with flight-tracking websites showing a C-17 transport aircraft heading toward the African country.

According to Whitehall sources, British warship HMS Lancaster is in or close to the region and could be used to assist with any potential rescue, Sky News said.

Further airlifts are another option, using RAF flights from a British military base in Cyprus to a Sudanese military airfield outside the capital Khartoum - the route used to rescue British diplomats and their families over the weekend.

However, any decision to attempt new evacuations is dependant on the level of risk the government is willing to accept.

At least 4,000 British citizens remain in Sudan despite British special forces carrying out a dramatic night-time rescue of British diplomats and their families over the weekend.

However, the mission does not mean that any rescue is imminent, as the Government is working out the best options to present to PM Rishi Sunak.

It's understood that there are around 4,000 British passport holders in the country, and it's thought the UK could ask allies to help British nationals.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said 1,200 military personnel took part in the night-time mission to rescue British diplomats and their children on Saturday night, but other British nationals were left behind.

Among those left to fend for themselves are several NHS medics.

The Sudanese Junior Doctors Association UK (SJDA-UK) said 71 Sudanese NHS doctors were currently trapped in Sudan "because of the ongoing conflict".

"We are concerned for their safety and the safety of their spouses and children," it tweeted.

Around half of the doctors are believed to be British nationals.

Some said they felt "abandoned" amid the deadly street fighting and a shortage of food, water and electricity, with others allegedly forced to kill their own pets to save the animals from starving.

Read more: 'We've been abandoned': 4,000 Brits stranded in war-ravaged Sudan beg for government help after SAS rescues diplomats

Read more: SAS night-time mission rescues diplomats trapped in war-torn Sudan but scores of Brits still stranded

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More than 400 people have died and thousands hurt in a bloody conflict between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The official advice continues to be for UK nationals to register their presence in Sudan with the Foreign Office and shelter in place.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: "I desperately hope that those still stuck in the conflict are brought to safety as soon as possible."

Without an end to the fighting, ministers are "severely limited in our ability to provide assistance to British nationals", Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

Chairing a sixth Sudan Cobra session on Sunday night to discuss the "escalation" of violence, he said the government remained "absolutely committed to supporting" Britons in the country.

The prospect of airlifting large numbers of people out of Sudan has been complicated by the fact most major airports have become battlegrounds, while movement out of the capital has proved perilous.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's official spokesman said the Government was "working around the clock" to support those remaining.

"We will pull every lever possible to help bring about a ceasefire and equally to support British nationals trapped by fighting."

US special forces evacuated around 70 American workers from Khartoum on Sunday but Washington has so far said it remains too dangerous to carry out a government co-ordinated mass evacuation of citizens.

The current explosion of violence comes after two generals fell out over a recent internationally brokered deal with democracy activists which was meant to incorporate the RSF into the military and eventually lead to civilian rule.