Sudan: PM chairs COBRA meeting over ‘extremely concerning’ situation as Britons trapped by fighting

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has chaired an emergency COBRA meeting over the “extremely concerning” situation in Sudan.

The UK plans to evacuate diplomats and nationals from Sudan, according to the head of the Sudanese army.

The US, France and China are also braced to bring out nationals in the face of deadly clashes.

A UK government spokesperson said: “We recognise that the situation is extremely concerning for British nationals trapped by the fighting in Sudan.

“We are doing everything possible to support British nationals and diplomatic staff in Khartoum, and the Ministry of Defence is working with the Foreign Office to prepare for a number of contingencies.”

Two COBRA meetings also took place yesterday.

Sky News understands Britain had put troops and aircraft on standby at an overseas base in case they are needed to airlift embassy staff and UK citizens from the country.

A statement by the Sudanese military citing army chief Abdel Fatteh al Burhan said: “It is expected that the process of evacuation will begin in the coming few hours, as the United States, Britain, France and China will evacuate their diplomats and nationals by air with military transport planes belonging to their armed forces from Khartoum, and it is expected to start immediately.”

It follows promises by rival Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to open airports for evacuations.

Diplomats from Saudi Arabia have already been taken out of the coastal city of Port Sudan and Jordan’s diplomats are due to follow suit.

British forces could also deploy to other airfields close to Sudan.

The United States and France – close allies of the UK – have bases in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, on Friday about the violence in Sudan, which was triggered by the two warring generals.

There are thought to be dozens of UK diplomats and other officials at the embassy in Khartoum as well as hundreds of UK citizens in Sudan. The figure rises into the thousands if dual nationals are also included.

Fierce fighting has gripped Sudan for the past few days as the army and RSF wage a power struggle, which has left hundreds of people dead and forced residents to hide in their homes.

Speaking to Sky News from the northwestern city of El Fasher in North Darfur, some 802 miles (1,290km) by road from Khartoum, humanitarian aid worker Thomas Okedi said: “The challenge in El Fasher now is that people are lacking basic services. There is no electricity in the city and right now it is 41C (105F). There is no water in households. Food is fast running out in the city.”

Mr Okedi, who works for the Norwegian Refugee Council added: “The challenge is humanitarian workers do not have any guarantee of safety to access populations in need, so nothing is happening in terms of humanitarian work.”

He urged international action to ensure that supplies could get through to those in need.

The latest conflict has forced thousands to flee the fighting and cross the border into Chad, where refugee camps were already under pressure from people displaced by long-standing violence in Darfur.

A UK government spokesperson confirmed the Ministry of Defence is supporting the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Officer “with prudent planning for various contingencies”.

The spokesperson added: “We are coordinating across government and with our international partners to provide the best ongoing consular assistance to British nationals and support for our diplomatic staff. We will continue to issue updates as the situation develops.”

British nationals are being urged to stay indoors and register their presence in Sudan through a Foreign Office website.

Read more:
Why has violence erupted in Sudan?
Dramatic before-and-after images show impact of deadly clashes
Sudan fighting: Here’s what’s happening on the ground

The UK could launch its own evacuation mission or join any multinational effort, depending on the level of risk government ministers were willing to take given that it would involve deploying military forces into a country where active fighting is taking place.

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UK troops could potentially deploy across the border into the vast country by land or helicopter to facilitate any evacuation.

Another evacuation option for the UK would be to ask the United States or France, which have larger military footprints in the region, to assist with the rescue of Britons.