First RAF flight evacuating Brits from Sudan leaves war-torn country - with two more to take place overnight
25 April 2023, 17:14 | Updated: 25 April 2023, 19:13
The evacuation of thousands of British nationals from Sudan has begun - with two more RAF flights heading to the war-torn country tonight.
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One RAF plane has already collected people from an airfield near Khartoum, with priority given to families with children, the elderly and people with medical conditions.
A flight landed in Cyprus, where Britain has key military bases, by 7pm UK time.
But Britons have been told they will have to reach the airfield themselves - negotiating checkpoints and potential outbreaks of fighting - as there are no escorts.
The Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: "The first flight has left and you can expect that there will be at least two more flights overnight tonight but that is subject to change."
The official advice from the Foreign Office said: “Please travel to this location as soon as possible to be processed for the flight."
Previously, the government told Brits to only make their way to the airfield based outside Khartoum as and when they were called forward.
The airfield is under the control of German forces but the British government has said it has the capacity to take over the airfield from Germany if necessary.
The PM's spokesman previously said British forces are still assessing the situation for alternative rescue routes.
However, Brits stuck in the North African country have expressed concern over the lack of guidance from the British government amid evacuation orders.
It comes amid fears over whether a 72-hour ceasefire - which began late on Monday - will hold.
It is "impossible for us to predict how long this opportunity will last", Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.
Around 1,400 military personnel are believed to be involved in the UK operation.
Sudan situation remains ‘dangerous and volatile’, says Foreign Secretary
At least 2,000, and up to 4,000 Brits are thought to still be in country after Britain managed to get its diplomats out with special forces.
There are believed to be 71 NHS doctors in the country, as Brits complained of feeling "abandoned" after the special mission to rescue the diplomats.
The first Hercules left Sudan this morning, according to a flight-tracking site, but it is understood to have been carrying an advance team, rather than people evacuated from Khartoum.
It comes after the government faced mounting pressure to get Britons out of the war zone.
