UK Has Evacuated More Than 300 People From Sudan With More Flights Planned
British personnel in Cyprus aiding with the evacuation from Sudan (Alamy)
2 min read
More than 300 people have been evacuated by the UK from Sudan as part of British efforts to help people escape the region following the outbreak of violence, Downing Street has confirmed.
So far a total of 301 people who are either British nationals or their dependents have been brought out to Cyprus by the UK government on four flights.
Another flight is currently being prepared, and it is expected that eight flights in total will have taken off by the end of today.
Another meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee is expected later today for officials to discuss the situation.
The Prime Minister's official spokesperson said this afternoon "we're calling everyone forward and we have no issue with capacity, people are being processed smoothly", allaying concerns that flights could have been overwhelmed. They added that the flights have been "full or close to full".
Fighting broke out last week in Sudan's capital Khartoum between the rival forces of two Sudanese generals.
Around 2,000 British nationals have registered their presence in Sudan with the Foreign Office.
The evacuation was announced on Tuesday morning by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, after a 72-hour ceasefire began late on Monday.
“We have started contacting nationals directly and providing routes for departure out of the country," Cleverly tweeted.
Yesterday, PoliticsHome reported that pressure was growing on ministers over rights for child migrants, after Tory MPs and human rights bodies suggested that children fleeing Sudan could face deportation under new UK law.
A growing number of Conservative backbenchers have warned the new Illegal Migration Bill could fail to protect children and people with protected characteristics who arrive in the UK from war-torn countries.
Conservative MP David Simmonds told PoliticsHome the conflict in Sudan demonstrates the importance of having a “flexible” and compassionate policy towards refugees.
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