Some Britons blocked from boarding final evacuation flights by Sudanese army
Some Britons are feared to have been left behind in Sudan after reports that the country’s armed forces had stopped a number of people from reaching the final British evacuation flights out of the country on Saturday.
The final Royal Air Force flight left the Wadi Saeedna airfield north of Khartoum late on Saturday, four hours behind schedule, taking the number of Britons and their relatives evacuated since Tuesday to 1,888.
The UK pledged to maintain support for Britons trapped in the war-torn country but said conditions had grown too dangerous to continue evacuation flights.
The Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee told The Observer she had received information that elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces had blocked British citizens as they tried to arrive at an airbase north of Khartoum.
“I’ve had some messages saying the Sudanese armed forces have been stopping people from crossing through Khartoum to get to the airstrip,” Alicia Kearns MP said.
“I think we need to look into that and see if that’s got any truth to it. If so, you’ve got British nationals who are stuck and being stopped from getting to the evacuation point,” she added.
Hundreds of people were told to make the risky journey to an evacuation center at the Wadi Saeedna airbase, about 14 miles north of Khartoum, while Sudan’s armed forces continued to attack Rapid Support Forces positions.
The UK government denies it has abandoned anyone in Sudan, after accusations of repeating the mistakes of its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Heavy fighting continued to rock Khartoum on Sunday and Sudan’s former Premier Abdalla Hamdok warned of the “nightmare” risk of a descent into full-scale civil war.
The UK pledged to maintain support for Britons trapped in the war-torn country but said conditions had grown too dangerous to continue evacuation flights.
The Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee told The Observer she had received information that elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces had blocked British citizens as they tried to arrive at an airbase north of Khartoum.
“I’ve had some messages saying the Sudanese armed forces have been stopping people from crossing through Khartoum to get to the airstrip,” Alicia Kearns MP said.
“I think we need to look into that and see if that’s got any truth to it. If so, you’ve got British nationals who are stuck and being stopped from getting to the evacuation point,” she added.
Hundreds of people were told to make the risky journey to an evacuation center at the Wadi Saeedna airbase, about 14 miles north of Khartoum, while Sudan’s armed forces continued to attack Rapid Support Forces positions.
The UK government denies it has abandoned anyone in Sudan, after accusations of repeating the mistakes of its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Heavy fighting continued to rock Khartoum on Sunday and Sudan’s former Premier Abdalla Hamdok warned of the “nightmare” risk of a descent into full-scale civil war.
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