Sudan: How do countries evacuate people from a war zone?

The British authorities has evacuated diplomats and their families from Sudan, successful a swift cognition that saw unit and their families flown retired of the state connected Sunday.

It comes aft a subject powerfulness conflict erupted successful the state past week betwixt 2 opposing forces, causing deadly shooting and shelling successful superior metropolis Khartoum.

Thousands of British citizens stay successful Sudan, with galore saying they consciousness abandoned by the UK authorities pursuing the evacuation. The authorities says it is inactive successful interaction with stuck Britons - and embassy unit had been successful a "very large danger".

In a fraught and rapidly changing environment, however does a authorities bring its diplomats to safety, particularly if they are being targeted?

BBC News asked Philip Ingram, who served successful the British service for much than 26 years and has worked arsenic a subject planner and quality officer.

Military unit perpetually rehearse and fine-tune these types of operations, says Mr Ingram, with Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office unit besides regularly visiting British embassies astir the satellite to sermon their evacuation plans.

The risks of utilizing subject unit to extract radical from warfare zones "cannot beryllium understated", Mr Ingram says, explaining that an evacuation cognition is simply a "last resort".

An cognition similar this 1 should not beryllium conducted without consulting different allied countries that whitethorn besides beryllium looking to evacuate their unit from the place, helium adds.

The US and UK announced connected Sunday they had flown diplomats retired of the country, portion France, Germany, Italy and Spain person besides been evacuating diplomats and citizens.

Countries volition often enactment unneurotic successful what's known arsenic a non-combatant evacuation cognition (NEO) co-ordination radical to execute an evacuation together.

If 1 state extracts its unit without consulting planetary partners, it tin enactment different diplomats astatine greater hazard of being targeted, helium explains.

A abrupt evacuation by 1 state tin origin a "domino effect", helium says, meaning that warring factions could spot those who stay arsenic targets oregon "potential hostages".

Once an evacuation is planned, subject liaison unit get astatine the embassy precise quickly, says Mr Ingram. This tin see subject leaders, peculiar forces and unit from the Chief of Joint Operations readying team, based successful the British Armed Forces' Northwood Headquarters successful Hertfordshire and whose occupation is to program and execute overseas operations.

Meanwhile, evacuation plans volition beryllium kept nether wraps to debar immoderate of the warring sides taking hostages oregon shooting the escaping convoy successful bid to blasted this onslaught connected an opposing faction.

"When ministers are asked precisely what's going on, they crook astir [and] they don't little the detail," Mr Ingram explains.

"One of the captious pieces of this is surprise: to get successful and get retired rapidly earlier immoderate of the warring factions tin respond properly. So that's wherefore we heard nothing."

The personnel, craft and logistics needed for this benignant of cognition would person been "forward based", says Mr Ingram, meaning that they would person been enactment successful spot nearer Sudan successful advance.

In this case, helium says, they were stationed astatine RAF Akrotiri successful Cyprus, which is simply a imperishable UK subject basal successful adjacent flying region of Sudan. Based present were a fig of transport aircraft, helium explains, including Airbus A400Ms and astatine slightest 1 Lockheed C-130J Hercules.

A outer representation taken astatine the airbase shows 2 planes which look to lucifer A400Ms disappearing from presumption connected Sunday.

Images of the airfield amusement 4 planes connected 20 April, with lone 2 remaining determination connected 23 April. On each different disposable images of the airfield successful April determination are nary planes successful this area.

When the evacuation began, Mr Ingram says it is apt that French, British and US forces worked unneurotic to get to Khartoum, with American troops utilizing Chinook helicopters.

"They volition person [then] met up with the representatives, the readying and liaison individuals that volition person been successful the embassies who volition root vehicles and different bits and pieces for them from wrong embassy resources," helium says.

When subject forces arrived, evacuees would person been called into the embassy oregon different cardinal location, Mr Ingram explains.

Once each gathered together, they would beryllium enactment into vehicles and taken to the "extraction point" successful secret, helium continues.

In this case, helium says this was "executed astir perfectly".

The BBC understands that UK diplomats and their families were flown successful subject craft from Wadi Seidna aerial basal successful Sudan - successful an SAS-led evacuation ngo connected Sunday.

Satellite images from the airdrome northbound of Khartoum amusement a level connected the runway which appears to lucifer 1 of the planes utilized successful the ngo - an A400M subject aircraft.

The supra representation was taken of the airdrome astatine 11:35 GMT, soon earlier the evacuation formation is thought to person near Wadi Seidna astir midday connected Sunday.

The grey craft pictured appeared connected the airstrip connected Sunday, and wasn't determination successful the days anterior to the mission. Aviation experts we spoke to confirmed that its helping benignant and dimensions are accordant with the A400M.

Speaking connected Monday, the UK's Armed Forces Minister James Heappey praised the mission, saying "it went without a hitch, which we're precise pleased with."

But helium added: "of people the occupation isn't done".

"Work is nether mode and has been each weekend, and each the backmost extremity of past week, to springiness the premier curate and Cobra options for what other could beryllium done to enactment the wider assemblage of British nationals successful Sudan."