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.”
Dozens of UK diplomats and other officials are thought to be at the embassy in Khartoum. Pic: AP
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.
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Briton stuck in Sudan: ‘It’s grim’
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 put further pressure on existing refugee camps in Chad. Pics: UNHCR/Aristophane Ngargoune
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
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Fierce fighting continues in Sudan
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.
US president-elect Donald Trump has suggested Israel and Hamas could agree a Gaza ceasefire by the end of the week.
Talks between Israeli and Hamas representatives resumed in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday, after US President Joe Biden indicated a deal to stop the fighting was “on the brink” on Monday.
A draft agreement has been sent to both sides. It includes provisions for the release of hostages and a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.
Qatar says Israel and Hamas are at their “closest point” yet to a ceasefire deal.
Two Hamas officials said the group has accepted the draft agreement, with Israel still considering the deal.
An Israeli official said a deal is close but “we are not there” yet.
More than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its ground offensive in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Read more:
What’s in the proposed deal?
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on beachfront cafe in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Biden hails possibility of agreement
President Biden said it would include a hostage release deal and a “surge” of aid to Palestinians, in his final foreign policy speech as president.
“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace,” he said.
“The deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.”
Qatari mediators have sent Israel and Hamas a draft proposal for an agreement to halt the fighting.
Analysis:
Deal might be close, but there are many unanswered questions
Pic: Reuters
Trump: ‘We’re very close’
President-elect Donald Trump has also discussed a possible peace deal during a phone interview with the Newsmax channel.
“We’re very close to getting it done and they have to get it done,” he said.
“If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble, like they have never seen before.
“And they will get it done. And I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished and maybe by the end of the week. But it has to take place, it has to take place.”
Read more:
Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden
Donald Trump’s inauguration 2.0
Pic: AP
Israeli official: Former Hamas leader held up deal
Speaking on Tuesday as negotiations resumed in Qatar, an anonymous Israeli official said that an agreement was “close, but we are not there”.
They accused Hamas of previously “dictating, not negotiating” but said this has changed in the last few weeks.
“Yahya Sinwar was the main obstacle for a deal,” they added.
Sinwar, believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October attacks, led Hamas following the assassination of his predecessor but was himself killed in October last year.
Under Sinwar, the Israeli official claimed, Hamas was “not in a rush” to bring a hostage deal but this has changed since his death and since the IDF “started to dismantle the Shia axis”.
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Biden: ‘Never, never, never, ever give up’
Iran ‘weaker than it’s been in decades’
Yesterday, President Biden also hailed Washington’s support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024.
“All told, Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades,” the president said.
Mr Biden claimed America’s adversaries were weaker than when he took office four years ago and that the US was “winning the worldwide competition”.
“Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are
weaker,” he said.
“We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”
The US president is expected to give a farewell address on Wednesday.
A draft ceasefire deal on the table between Israel and Hamas would see 33 hostages set free and a phased withdrawal of IDF forces from parts of Gaza.
President Joe Biden said an agreement to stop the fighting was “on the brink” and high level negotiations between the two sides resumed in Qatar on Tuesday.
The deal would see a number of things happen in a first stage, with negotiations for the second stage beginning in the third week of the ceasefire.
It would also allow a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of war.
Details of what the draft proposal entails have been emerging on Tuesday, reported by Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages hold photos of their loved ones during a protest on 8 January. Pic: AP
Hostages to be returned
In the first stage of the potential ceasefire, 33 hostages would be set free.
These include women (including female soldiers), children, men over the age of 50, wounded and sick.
Israel believes most of these hostages are alive but there has not been any official confirmation from Hamas.
In return for the release of the hostages, Israel would free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
People serving long sentences for deadly attacks would be included in this but Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attack would not be released.
An arrangement to prevent Palestinian “terrorists” from going back to the West Bank would be included in the deal, an anonymous Israeli official said.
Read more:
A timeline of events since the 7 October attacks
The hostages who still haven’t returned home
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in Beit Hanoun in Gaza. Pic: Reuters
Phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
The agreement also includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, with IDF troops remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages.
Security arrangements would be implemented at the Philadelphi corridor – a narrow strip of land that runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza – with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.
The Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza would start to work gradually to allow the crossing of people who are sick and other humanitarian cases out of Gaza for treatment.
Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed to return to their homes, with a mechanism introduced to ensure no weapons are moved there.
“We will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages are back home,” the Israeli official said.
What will happen to Gaza in the future?
There is less detail about the future of Gaza – from how it will be governed, to any guarantees that this agreement will bring a permanent end to the war.
“The only thing that can answer for now is that we are ready for a ceasefire,” the Israeli official said.
“This is a long ceasefire and the deal that is being discussed right now is for a long one. There is a big price for releasing the hostages and we are ready to pay this price.”
The international community has said Gaza must be run by Palestinians, but there has not been a consensus about how this should be done – and the draft ceasefire agreement does not seem to address this either.
In the past, Israel has said it will not end the war leaving Hamas in power. It also previously rejected the possibility of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governing powers in the West Bank, from taking over the administration of Gaza.
Since the beginning of its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has also said it would retain security control over the territory after the fighting ends.
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