Rishi Sunak has hailed the brave efforts of the UK’s armed forces after they swooped into Sudan to help British diplomats and their families to escape fighting.
The prime minister said the British military had undertaken a “difficult” operation to evacuate UK officials from Sudan following fears embassy staff could be targeted.
Hundreds have died in a bloody conflict between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.
Sunak tweeted: “UK armed forces have completed a complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan, amid a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff.
“I pay tribute to the commitment of our diplomats and bravery of the military personnel who carried out this difficult operation.”
It comes after a UK Government source had announced on Saturday that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Ministry of Defence would be delivering a diplomatic evacuation plan “as soon as feasible”.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed the operation to remove British Embassy staff from Sudan involved more than 1,200 personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force (RAF).
“This morning, UK Armed Forces undertook a military operation alongside the United States; France and other allies,” Mr Wallace said in a written statement.
“They have evacuated British Embassy staff and their dependants from Khartoum due to the escalating threats against diplomats.
“The operation involved more than 1,200 personnel from 16 Air Assault Brigade; the Royal Marines and the RAF. I am grateful to all our partners.”
The Sudanese army had on Saturday said Britain was one of a number of nations, including the US and China, that it would be assisting to help remove its officials from the dangerous conditions in the country.
Prospects of airlifting people out of Sudan had been complicated by the fact most major airports have become battlegrounds and movement out of the capital has proven perilous.
The UK Government has stated that a more large-scale evacuation could prove a challenge, with Britain lacking the military footprint it had in Afghanistan which saw thousands airlifted out of Kabul during Operation Pitting in 2021.
Sunak and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK would continue to act as a broker for a peace deal in Sudan.
Britain has historic ties to Sudan. In an unusual arrangement, Britain and Egypt jointly ruled Sudan from 1899 until it gained independence in 1956, but Sudan is not among the group of 56 Commonwealth nations.
The prime minister said: “We are continuing to pursue every avenue to end the bloodshed in Sudan and ensure the safety of British nationals remaining in the country.
“I urge the parties to lay down their arms and implement an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to ensure civilians can leave conflict zones.”
Cleverly said: “We are working around the clock to broker international support to end the bloodshed in Sudan.”