The first rescued Britons have landed back in the UK after a heavily criticised evacuation effort from Sudan on the second day of a ceasefire between the country's two warring factions. A war criminal wanted by the ICC and other detained Islamists have escaped from a prison in Khartoum.
Thursday 27 April 2023 02:58, UK
The UK "cannot guarantee" how many further evacuation flights will depart once the ceasefire in Sudan expires on Thursday night, the foreign secretary has said.
James Cleverly posted on Twitter: "The 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan ends tomorrow night (April 27).
"We cannot guarantee how many further flights will depart once the ceasefire ends."
A total of 536 people have now been evacuated from Sudan on six UK flights, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
This is 235 more than the last update this afternoon.
Some 130 people arrived in Stansted earlier, the first flight to touch down on British soil.
Earlier today, a spokesman for the PM said eight flights will have left Sudan by midnight.
Those leaving Sudan are being taken to Cyprus by RAF aircraft, where they are transferred to passenger planes bound for the UK.
The chief of Sudan's army said it has "initially accepted" a plan to extend the ceasefire by another 72 hours.
An army statement indicated General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was open to sending an envoy to the capital of South Sudan, Juba, for talks.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an eight-country trade bloc, proposed the truce deal, which includes both the army and the RSF sending representatives to the city discuss the details of a longer ceasefire.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the initiative, which, if accepted by both sides, would mark a major breakthrough after days of intense international diplomacy.
On top of the bombing and shelling, a health crisis may be unfolding in Sudan in the wake of the conflict.
The World Health Organisation, who earlier pointed out that only 16% of health facilities in Khartoum were functioning, has outlined a worrying picture for anyone in need of treatment in the country.
In a series of statements, the organisation said patients with cancer, kidney disease or diabetes are unable to access the medicines they need in Sudan.
Power cuts are threating to make the few remaining stocks of blood in the Central Blood Bank "unusable".
An estimated 24,000 women will give birth "in the coming weeks" without access to maternal care.
Programmes aimed at preventing the transmission of dengue fever and malaria have ceased.
With the water supply disrupted, there is a high risk of diarrhoeal diseases as people resort to drinking river water "to survive".
And in this fragile context, one of the warring parties seized a public health laboratory which could "accidentally expose" them to pathogens stored there.
In a statement on the lab, the WHO said it is "seeking more information and conducting a risk assessment."
Since we reported the landing of the first flight carrying British nationals earlier today, evacuees have been reunited with their loved ones.
Family members and friends were waiting anxiously in the arrivals lounge and car park for the flight to arrive.
Women with small children and babies in prams, as well as elderly people in wheelchairs, were among the more than 130 people to arrive in the UK.
One man, who did not give his name, described his experience as a "nightmare".
He said: "I was in the middle of the conflict. There was bombing and shelling, the house next to us was shelled. It was like a Bond movie, I've never seen anything like it before."
Speaking outside the airport, he said: "It's absolutely fantastic to be back. It's been a nightmare. We've never seen anything like it before."
He continued: "Khartoum is like a ghost city, everyone is leaving Khartoum now.
"We are very grateful to the British servicemen and women who risked their lives to come to Sudan and help us out."
A British-Sudanese journalist has described her fury at the "absolutely ridiculous" response from the UK government.
Leila Latif said senior members of the British embassy were on holiday when the violence broke out, leaving her and her children to make their own way to Egypt.
The journey there was "absolute hell" as groups of men with machine guns sporadically boarded their bus and her life was at the mercy of their "compassion".
"I remain absolutely furious that as a British citizen in a vulnerable situation, that was what I was put through."
Mrs Latif said she and her husband "exhausted every avenue" and "called in every favour" but were still left "completely on our own".
She said Canadian and German friends of hers have been safe for days while "the British can't even manage to coordinate the fact that we could have joined other efforts".
She said it "sickens" her that she was told just to stay inside, four days after the conflict erupted.
"Their response was absolutely ridiculous. For one thing the senior staff at the embassy were all on holiday during a time of increasing hostility."
She said her children were "traumatised" and she and her husband themselves had a "harrowing" experience, which they will "be dealing with for many months to come".
Armed young men have treated the conflict "like a game of Call of Duty", says the British officer organising evacuation efforts.
Recalling a conversation he had with a holidaying London family caught up in the conflict, Brigadier Dan Reeve said they reported male fighters "taking pot shots at anyone".
"They were just describing a situation which turned from nothing to the use of artillery within 45 minutes."
The account mirrors the stories of other people fleeing Khartoum, who have said youths are roaming with large knives, bodies are littering the streets and residential areas are now battlefields.
Sudan's army and a paramilitary force have continued to battle on the outskirts of the capital today, despite a declared ceasefire.
By Alistair Bunkall, Middle East correspondent
Many people are arriving in Cyprus utterly traumatised and too upset to talk about what they've been through to get here.
We watched a hundred or so slowly walk down the ramp off the back of an RAF Hercules aircraft into the Mediterranean sun on this holiday island. What a culture shock that must be.
They're met by British government staff from the Foreign Office's rapid reaction team - many of them are pulling 20-hour shifts as aircraft land at all hours of the day.
Medics and aid workers are on standby for anyone who needs help. The Cypriot authorities have experience of this - the exodus from Lebanon in 2006 - and they're working closely with the British.
The process is quick once they land. They're taken through immigration and then fast-tracked to a departures lounge away from most passengers, ready for a chartered flight back to the UK.
Some are giddy with the elation of making it to safety; most are exhausted, silent and close to tears.
We met Dr Abdraman, his four sons and his wife, just as they were about to board their flight home.
His wife had to leave her parents behind. She buried her head in her scarf and sobbed as her children told us they what they'd experienced:
"It was kind of tiring because we had to go upstairs and downstairs when we heard bullets and bombs because downstairs is more safe because they normally hit upwards, and it might hit us."
If there is space, the RAF flights are bringing out other nationalities too.
We met an Australian, Eltayeb Eltayeb, who'd made it out overnight.
"You look into the road and you see someone holding an AK looking at you and you just walk right back home.
"There's a famine going on right now. There's a shortage of food, water, supplies. Nothing's open, no-one is bringing supplies in, people are running out. Sooner or later they're going to start jumping on the doors and extorting houses."
The British military say they will be able to continue operating rescue flights even if the fighting resumes.
They might have to. The 72-hour ceasefire is quickly running out and hundreds more Britons are still trapped in Sudan.
The brigadier commanding military efforts to evacuate Sudan, Dan Reeve, has given a briefing to reporters - this is what we have learnt...
If you're just joining us, here are the five key moments we've reported today - day 11 of the crisis in Sudan.
First Britons arrive in UK: More than 100 British nationals touched down in Stansted Airport this afternoon, as 301 people with UK passports were confirmed evacuated from Sudan in total so far.
Evacuation beyond ceasefire?: Military analyst Sean Bell said it was "quite possible" the British government were preparing for further evacuations after the 72-hour truce ends, given its military footprint in the airfield outside Khartoum.
Chaos: Britons wrapped up in the rescue mission have described the government's efforts as "chaotic" and "ridiculous", criticising how long they were asked to wait and that they were expected to make their own way to the airfield.
Prison break: Sudanese police said the RSF broke into five prisons and released inmates. Separately, warlord Ahmed Haroun, who was indicted by the ICC, said he escaped from a prison in Khartoum.
Refugees: Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the UK had "no plans" to provide safe routes for refugees looking to leave Sudan after the evacuation is complete.
