Sudan: Rival factions agree to ceasefire extension – as UK evacuates almost 900

Published

2 years ago

April 27, 2023

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Sudan’s rival factions have agreed to extend a 72-hour ceasefire – just hours before the original truce was due to end.

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

But violence continued in the capital Khartoum and raged in the western Darfur region.

It came as the British evacuation mission rescued at least 897 people.

The truce will start at midnight tonight local time (11pm UK time), 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 today, with the Foreign Office promising “further flights to come”.

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.

The Foreign Office, which has not said how many of the evacuees are British, urged citizens to head to an airstrip before the ceasefire was due to end.

Military chiefs say they have the capacity to lift at least 500 people per day out of the Wadi Saeedna airfield near the capital, Khartoum.

Time is ticking down on the first truce between Sudan’s two warring factions, and there are fears clashes that have killed hundreds will continue.

The foreign secretary warned Britons stranded in Sudan it could be “impossible” to evacuate them when the ceasefire expires – as he urged people to head to the airstrip as soon as possible.

James Cleverly 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.

The Foreign Office also said this afternoon that 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.

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

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.

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.

Africa minister Andrew Mitchell has said Britain’s evacuation effort is “going very smoothly” but warned we are “in the hands of the ceasefire”.

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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.

UK

Man found dead following explosion and house collapse in Worksop

Published

7 hours ago

April 13, 2025

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Man found dead following explosion and house collapse in Worksop

A man has been found dead among the debris following an explosion at a house in Nottinghamshire.

Emergency services were called to John Street, Worksop, on Saturday evening after reports that a house had collapsed in the blast, and a major incident was declared.

Nottinghamshire Police said on Sunday afternoon that the body of a man in his 50s was later recovered in the wreckage and, despite the best efforts of emergency services, he died at the scene.

Firefighters from the town were joined at the scene by crews from Warsop and Mansfield, and Clowne in Derbyshire, after the incident happened at 7.39pm.

The terraced property was “partially destroyed” and neighbouring homes suffered “significant damage”, Nottinghamshire Police said, with people evacuated from multiple properties.

Videos posted on social media showed the front of a terraced house blown out and the roof collapsed, while neighbouring houses suffered damage to windows.

A Facebook user reported a “huge” bang that shook the surrounding properties, while another described “a terrific bang, like a very loud firework”.

Chief Inspector Clive Collings, from Nottinghamshire Police, described it as “an extremely serious incident that has led to a man’s untimely death”.

He said the incident “will have come as a shock to the community in Worksop” and specially trained officers are supporting the man’s family, who have been told of his death.

“Anyone who may have been in the area at the time is now accounted for,” he added.

Chief Inspector Collings said the cordon and road closures will probably remain in place for some time while investigations continue.

Multiple residents from in and around John Street were asked to leave, he said, and are being supported by Nottinghamshire County Council staff.

He warned people against using drones as flying a drone over or near an ongoing emergency response without permission is an offence.

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UK

Emergency bill to protect British Steel becomes law

Published

19 hours ago

April 13, 2025

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Emergency bill to protect British Steel becomes law

An emergency bill to save British Steel’s Scunthorpe blast furnaces has become law.

The urgent legislation gives ministers the power to instruct British Steel to keep the plant open.

The bill was rushed through the House of Commons and House of Lords in one day, with MPs and peers being recalled from recess to take part in a Saturday sitting for the first time in over 40 years.

Emergency bill becomes law – follow the latest reaction here

After passing through both houses of parliament, the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill was granted royal assent by the King.

The bill gives the government the power to take control of British Steel – or any other steel asset – “using force if necessary”, order materials for steelmaking and instruct that workers be paid. It also authorises a jail sentence of up to two years for anyone breaching this law.

Sir Keir Starmer hailed the legislation for “turning the page on a decade of decline”, adding “all options are on the table to secure the future of the industry”.

It will mean the steel plant in Scunthorpe will continue to operate as the government decides on a long-term strategy, and steelmaking in the UK more broadly.

Officials from the Department for Business and Trade arrived at the site before the bill had even passed, Sky News understands.

Earlier, staff from the plant’s ousted Chinese owners Jingye were denied access, with police called over a “suspected breach of peace” – though officers found “no concerns”.

Ministers took the unusual step of recalling parliament from its recess to sit on Saturday after negotiations with Jingye appeared to break down.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the measures within the bill were “proportionate and necessary” to keep the Scunthorpe blast furnaces open and protect both the UK’s primary steelmaking capacity and the 3,500 jobs involved.

The emergency legislation stops short of full nationalisation of British Steel, but Mr Reynolds told MPs that public ownership remained the “likely option” for the future.

During the debate, several Conservative MPs, Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice and the Liberal Democrats’ deputy leader Daisy Cooper all spoke in favour of nationalisation.

MPs had broken up for the Easter holidays on Tuesday and had not been due to return until Tuesday 22 April.

The business secretary accused Jingye of failing to negotiate “in good faith” after it decided to stop buying enough raw materials to keep the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe going.

But the Conservatives said the government should have acted sooner, with shadow leader of the house Alex Burghart accusing ministers of making “a total pig’s breakfast” of the situation regarding British Steel.

The government was also criticised for acting to save the Scunthorpe plant but not taking the same action when the Tata Steel works in Port Talbot were threatened with closure.

UK

Major incident declared after gas explosion causes house collapse in Nottinghamshire

Published

19 hours ago

April 13, 2025

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Major incident declared after gas explosion causes house collapse in Nottinghamshire

A major incident has been declared in Nottinghamshire after a gas explosion caused a house to collapse.

There is still a “substantial emergency service presence” in place after the explosion in John Street, Worksop just after 7.30pm on Saturday.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) declared it a “major incident” and said “multiple houses in and around John Street have been evacuated”. Nearby Crown Place Community Centre has been opened as a “place of safety”, the service said. Around 20 people have sought refuge there, Sky News camera operator James Evans-Jones said from the scene.

Videos posted on social media showed the front of a terraced house blown out with the roof collapsed, while neighbouring houses had their windows damaged.

NFRS said in a statement late on Saturday: “This has now been declared a major incident, and we are likely to be on scene throughout the night and even into Sunday morning.”

The fire service said it was called to the scene at 7.39pm.

“This is a gas explosion involving a house that has been significantly damaged,” the service said in a previous statement.

One person posted on Facebook that they heard “a terrific bang, like a very loud firework” as they turned into Gladstone Street from Gateford Road.

“I thought the back end had blown off my car,” they said. “A house in John Street has had, presumably, a gas explosion!”

NFRS said it was also called to a separate incident shortly afterwards but does not believe the two are connected.

Ten fire engines were sent to the scene of the industrial fire in nearby Holgate Road in The Meadows, Nottingham.

“The building has been severely damaged but there are no reports of any injuries,” NFRS said.

Having been called to the incident at 8.11pm, NFRS said at around 10.30pm that it was scaling its response down with the flames “now under control”.

NFRS’s group manager Leigh Holmes said from the scene just after 11pm: “We will begin to relax the cordon in the next hour as we continue to scale down this incident.”