Sudan: Warring military factions agree ceasefire extension as foreign secretary urges Britons to leave

Published

2 years ago

April 28, 2023

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Sudan’s warring military factions have agreed to extend a 72-hour ceasefire as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons to “proceed to the airport as quickly as possible to ensure their safety”.

First the country’s army, then its rivals in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to the three-day extension brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia, it was announced on Thursday evening.

But violence continues in the capital Khartoum and the western Darfur region – with armed groups in the city of Genena battling each other while looting homes and shops, according to eyewitnesses.

The truce extension started at midnight local time (11pm UK time) to allow more citizens and foreign nationals to flee the fighting.

The British evacuation mission has rescued at least 897 people, as the White House said it was concerned by ceasefire violations and warned the situation “could worsen at any moment”.

Eight British flights had left Sudan as of 4pm on Thursday, with the Foreign Office promising “further flights to come”.

Mr Cleverly warned Britons stranded in Sudan it could be “impossible” to evacuate them when the ceasefire expired – as he urged people to head to the airfield north of Khartoum as soon as possible.

More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans. Earlier this week, the UK government said around 4,000 British passport holders were in the country.

British military chiefs say they have the capacity to evacuate at least 500 people per day out of the Wadi Saeedna airfield.

Mr Cleverly tweeted on Thursday evening: “The ceasefire in Sudan has just been extended. The UK calls for its full implementation by the generals. British evacuation flights are ongoing.

“I urge all British nationals wishing to leave to proceed to the airport as quickly as possible to ensure their safety.”

Mr Cleverly earlier told Sky’s Kay Burley: “We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends, but what we do know is that it will be much much harder – potentially impossible.”

“There are planes, there is capacity – we will lift you out. I’m not able to make those same assurances once the ceasefire has ended.”

“So if you’re planning to move, move now,” he said.

Only British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance are eligible for evacuation.

However, Mr Cleverly said a “few nationals of other countries” had also been allowed on its planes out of Sudan.

At least 512 people have died and thousands injured since the power struggle between generals heading the army and RSF descended into fighting almost two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office said the UK ambassador to Sudan, Giles Lever, has been deployed to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

He will lead the UK’s diplomatic efforts in the region “to bring fighting to an end in Sudan”.

The ambassador was not in Khartoum when the fighting broke out with newspaper reports saying he was on holiday at the time.

RAF planes are evacuating people to Cyprus, where they are met by Foreign Office officials and medics, before being flown to London Stansted on commercial jets.

The government is also working on a sea evacuation route from Port Sudan and the HMS Lancaster has been dispatched. Other countries have been using the city to get people out.

Some have criticised the government for being too slow to start its evacuation plan, with countries such as Germany completing evacuations on Tuesday night.

UK diplomats and their families were evacuated from Sudan in a mission involving elite troops at the weekend.

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The fighting has pushed Sudan’s population to near breaking point, with food becoming scarce, electricity cut off across much of the capital and other cities, and many hospitals shut down.

Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations and the UN refugee agency said it was gearing up for potentially tens of thousands of people fleeing to neighbouring countries.

World

Irish politician faces deportation from Egypt after trying to cross into Gaza

Published

14 hours ago

June 14, 2025

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Irish politician faces deportation from Egypt after trying to cross into Gaza

An Irish politician who was detained in Egypt trying to cross into Gaza says the police were violent towards the group after seizing his phone.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD (MP) Paul Murphy was part of a large demonstration attempting to march to the Rafah crossing in a bid to get aid into the region.

The opposition politician said his phone and passport were confiscated on Friday before he was put on a bus to Cairo airport for deportation.

Israel-Iran live: ‘Tehran will burn’ if it keeps firing missiles

Footage of the seconds before his phone was seized shows authorities forcibly dragging protesters away from the sit-down demonstration.

Ireland’s deputy premier said several Irish citizens who were detained have now been released. Mr Murphy confirmed he was among the released protesters, posting a photo on his Facebook page saying he was back in Cairo and “meeting shortly to decide next steps”.

In a message from Mr Murphy after he was detained, posted online by his social media team, he said: “I’m ok, but they still have my phone.

“Egyptian police say we’re going to airport but this isn’t the road we came on because there are 1000s of marchers on the streets. They’re taking us south past a lake, then west towards Cairo.

“Violence got worse after they seized my phone.

“One American woman in my group was badly kicked & beaten, and had her hijab torn off.”

Sky News has contacted Egypt’s police regarding Mr Murphy’s claims of violence towards the group.

Mr Murphy previously said other Irish citizen were among those who had been stopped from entering Gaza.

“The world has watched a horrific genocide for the past 20 months. Since March, a total attempt of starvation,” he added.

“And that this is a peaceful march to demand that it be ended and demand that western governments stop their complicity.”

Appeal to foreign affairs minister

Mr Murphy’s partner, Councillor Jess Spear, had previously appealed to Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister and deputy premier Simon Harris to make a public statement on Mr Murphy’s detention.

She expressed “relief” that the group had been released from detention.

She said: “However, they still want to reach Rafah to try and get humanitarian aid into Gaza. That has been the sole purpose of being in Egypt.

“Paul has appealed to Tanaiste Simon Harris to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to let the marchers reach Rafah. The situation of the people of Gaza worsens by the day as they suffer starvation imposed by Israel.”

World

Nuclear threat wasn’t the only reason Israel attacked Iran

Published

16 hours ago

June 14, 2025

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Nuclear threat wasn't the only reason Israel attacked Iran

Why did Israel attack Iran? Certainly, it was worried about the threat of a nuclear weapon being developed.

But it’s also becoming clearer that there was a second reason – that this is about laying the ground for regime change in Tehran.

Follow latest: Israel warns ‘Tehran will burn’ if it continues

Because, hours after his country launched its first, surprise attack, the message from Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t be clearer – Iranians, he said, should overthrow their “evil and oppressive regime”. He said Israel’s attack would “pave the way for you to achieve your freedom”.

On the one hand, he would say that, wouldn’t he? The Iranian government does not recognise the legitimacy of the Israeli state and has called for its destruction, while funding proxy groups that have attacked Israel – including Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen.

But perhaps this time there is more than just wishful thinking.

Although it’s very hard to gauge the level of opposition in Iran, it seems likely the majority of the population of 90 million are at least disenchanted with the regime.

Living standards have fallen and supplies are running short. While tens of billions of dollars have been spent on a nuclear programme, electricity is being rationed and cooking gas is running low.

Priority is being given to those who are close to the regime, notably the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian army that is fiercely loyal to the ruling regime.

The IRGC are crucial in propping up Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s 86-year-old supreme leader. Not only do they offer military power, but also domestic surveillance, intimidation and secret policing in order to stifle dissent.

So for any opposition to emerge, let alone flourish, the IRGC would need to be degraded – and that is precisely what Israel has done, targeting its senior leaders as well as bases.

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The regular army, so far, has been left alone. Israel’s gamble is that a majority of the rest of the military harbour the same dislike of the IRGC as the wider population.

It was no coincidence that Netanyahu quoted the expression “woman, life, freedom”, which was a rallying call during the 2022 protests in Iran – eventually suppressed by the IRGC.

It is very hard to believe that a coherent, public opposition movement will burst into life any time soon. Iranians are well aware their regime will respond with brutality against any attempted uprising.

Instead, dissidents seem to be biding their time and waiting to see if Israel continues its assaults, and whether they can sense genuine signs that the regime is starting to struggle to maintain control. If the cracks emerge, then regime change – or at least an attempt – is possible.

Possible, but not certain. “They will do anything to stay in power, and when other uprisings have happened, they’ve been successfully suppressed,” one Middle East diplomat tells me.

“And there is no unifying leader ready to step in. Even if there is regime change, it could be a military takeover rather than a popular uprising.”

And that leaves one final question – if Khamenei did feel his grip on power was failing, might he still have the time, desire and power to resort to final, desperate military actions? The truth is, we don’t know.

At the moment, the Middle East is a region full of unanswerable, high-risk questions.

World

Children orphaned as father killed in Air India plane crash days after mother dies

Published

17 hours ago

June 14, 2025

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Children orphaned as father killed in Air India plane crash days after mother dies

A father returning home after scattering his wife’s ashes was among the victims of the Air India crash, leaving his two young children suddenly orphaned.

Flight 171 was carrying 242 people when it struck a medical college hostel less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India.

Twenty-nine people on the ground were killed, taking the total number of victims to 270. A hospital official confirmed 270 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, but DNA testing is being conducted to identify the bodies.

Just one passenger, a British man from Leicester, survived what has become the worst aviation crash in a decade.

Among the victims, 37-year-old Arjun Patoliya had been visiting India to fulfil his wife Bharti’s “final wish” to be laid to rest in her hometown of Gujarat.

Bharti had died just over two weeks ago, following a “courageous battle with cancer”.

A GoFundMe page, set up to raise funds for their two children, says: “Arjun left to bid farewell to his wife, never returned to the children they both raised.

“Now, these two beautiful young girls have been left without parents – their world turned upside down in just over two weeks.”

A fundraiser, which has topped more than a quarter of a million pounds, confirms all money raised will go directly into a legal trust, “to ensure every penny is dedicated to the girls’ needs”.

Investigation will take three months

India’s aviation minister has said a government panel reviewing the crash will complete its assessment in three months.

Ram Mohan Naidu said the government has also ordered “extended surveillance” of Boeing 787 planes. Air India operates 33 Boeing 787s, while rival airline IndiGo has one, according to data from Flightradar24.

Mr Naidu said the plane started descending after reaching 650 feet.

Every theory as to what happened will be looked into, he said. But in the meantime, he has instructed the airline to assist the families of passengers to ensure there is no delay in handing over the bodies of those who died.

Black box has been found

India’s aviation ministry says workers have recovered the digital flight data recorder – one of two black boxes on the plane, from the rooftop of the building where it crashed.

This box has data on engine and control settings, so will be able to show if there was a loss of engine power or lift after takeoff.

The investigation will initially focus on the engine, flaps and landing gear, a source told Reuters on Friday.

A possible bird-hit is not among the key areas of focus, the source said, adding that teams of anti-terror experts were part of the investigation process.

There is no information yet on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, which will be a crucial part of understanding what caused the plane to crash.