The United Kingdom is set to conduct its final evacuation flight from Sudan on May 3, according to the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly. The country has been conducting the longest and largest airlift in Sudan, evacuating 2,341 people on 28 flights, including 1,195 British nationals and Sudanese dependents of British nationals.
The last evacuation flight is expected to leave Port Sudan, where British nationals have been urged to go if they still wish to leave the country. The UK government has been running the airlift in response to the ongoing conflict and political instability in Sudan. However, Nigerians who were earlier evacuated by buses to Egypt are yet to be repatriated despite two airlines – Air Peace and Azman Air – being ready to transport them.
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The Egyptian authorities reportedly gave them stringent conditions, leading to their continued stay in the country. The international focus is now shifting to preventing a wider humanitarian catastrophe in the region. The United Nations announced that General Abdel Fattah Burhan and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who were allies in the October 2021 military coup that halted Sudan’s transition to democracy, have agreed to send representatives to the negotiation table to establish a more stable truce.
The situation in Sudan is still deemed dangerous, and British military personnel are still present in Port Sudan, with the HMS Lancaster warship off the coast to support Britons. The Foreign Secretary has warned that any further fighting would hinder relief efforts.
