Sudan: Second evacuation flight of Britons lands in Cyprus

1 year ago 66

UK nationals disembarking from a RAF transport level   astatine  Larnaca airdrome  successful  CyprusImage source, Ministry of Defence

Image caption,

UK nationals disembarking from the archetypal RAF formation from Sudan to Larnaca airdrome successful Cyprus

By Caroline Hawley & Kathy Long successful Larnaca, & Andre Rhoden-Paul successful London

BBC News

A 2nd evacuation formation rescuing UK nationals from war-torn Sudan has landed successful Cyprus.

The passengers and a further 39 from an earlier rescue formation connected Tuesday are expected to beryllium fixed the accidental to alert to the UK from Larnaca Airport later.

British troops are attempting to get UK nationals retired of the eastbound African state during a 72-hour ceasefire.

The BBC was told 39 radical were flown retired connected the archetypal RAF level - and 3 rescue flights are planned successful total.

Trapped British nationals had been told to marque their ain mode to an airstrip adjacent Sudanese superior Khartoum, erstwhile it was wide the ceasefire that began astatine midnight section clip (22:00 GMT) connected Monday was holding.

Military planes are leaving RAF Akrotiri successful Cyprus to prime up British passport holders from the airstrip and alert them to Lanarca airdrome wherever they are processed by UK unit who cheque their documentation. The RAF planes past refuel, earlier returning to Sudan.

A full of 260 radical has been expected but the Foreign Office has yet to corroborate however galore radical made it connected to the 2nd plane, which arrived successful Larnaca successful the aboriginal hours of Wednesday.

The Foreign Office person said it aims to person evacuees connected the crushed successful Cyprus for little than 48 hours.

It is thought determination is lone a tiny model of comparative information for this evacuation effort to exploit.

Among the archetypal radical of evacuees to get successful Cyprus were families with young children, immoderate of them newborns, who were greeted by the Cypriot Red Cross which provided nutrient and toiletries.

They person spent the nighttime successful Larnaca and volition question to London connected a charter formation acceptable to depart successful the morning.

A British antheral whose sister managed to beryllium evacuated overnight told the BBC she felt an overwhelming consciousness of alleviation to person managed to flight a metropolis wherever nutrient and h2o person go scarce due to the fact that it is not harmless for radical to permission their homes.

He said astatine 1 constituent she and 13 others had lone 4 dates and 1 ovum near to stock betwixt them.

It is not wide wherefore much British passport holders person not been connected the flights truthful far, but we cognize of 1 NHS doc who is visiting an aged mother, who herself doesn't person a UK visa truthful determination is simply a reluctance to permission her behind.

Around 120 British troops are supporting the evacuation astatine the Wadi Saeedna airstrip.

Image source, Reuters

Image caption,

Young children were among the British nationals to get astatine Lanarca International Airport

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace antecedently told LBC Radio determination was "some hazard that immoderate of the planes are not full" arsenic determination were "not thousands astatine the gate" similar the evacuation from Afghanistan 2 years ago.

The authorities is besides considering a seaborne evacuation from Port Sudan, immoderate 500 miles from the capital. HMS Lancaster and RFA Cardigan Bay person been sent to the region.

A comparative of a British-Sudanese aged mates told BBC Radio 4's World Tonight that the mates risked getting changeable if they permission the house, but hazard starving if they stay.

Yasmin Sholgami, from westbound London, said it was 10 days since she had managed to talk with her grandparents, who unrecorded other the British Embassy successful the Sudanese capital.

She said erstwhile she past spoke to her British nationalist grandfather, 89, and grandmother, 75 and his spouse, they did not person food, h2o oregon electricity.

She described wherever they unrecorded arsenic a "hotpot for fighting" and it would beryllium "impossible for her grandparents to move".

More than 2,000 British citizens person registered successful Sudan with the Foreign Office.

Families with children oregon aged relatives, oregon individuals with aesculapian conditions, are being prioritised for the flights.

Only British passport holders and contiguous household members with existing UK introduction clearance are being told they are eligible for the evacuation flights.

On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the Foreign Office's situation centre successful London, which is overseeing the evacuation efforts. He told unit that "the adjacent 24 hours are perfectly critical".

Speaking to the media, helium added: "The information concern connected the crushed successful Sudan is complicated, it is volatile and we wanted to marque definite we could enactment successful spot processes that are going to enactment for people, that are going to beryllium harmless and effective."

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