The first British civilian evacuation plane out of conflict-torn Sudan has landed – but just 39 people were reportedly on board.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said “many more” flights carrying British nationals will leave the country into Wednesday as warring factions have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire
The UK’s approach has faced criticism for failing those stuck in Khartoum, with diplomats being prioritised.
The first departure from the Wadi Saeedna airfield landed on Tuesday evening at Larnaca airport in Cyprus with 39 people on board, the BBC and Reuters reported.
The PM said “over a thousand” UK citizens in Sudan have been contacted about extraction plans, with officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) speaking to hundreds directly already.
UK nationals were being processed for evacuation at an airfield near the capital after an RAF mission was launched during a “volatile” ceasefire brokered between the warring factions.
Two more flights carrying around 220 people are expected overnight.
The UK will take over from German forces running the airfield near Khartoum on Wednesday, according to defence secretary Ben Wallace.
He said 120 British troops have already been supporting the operation.
Speaking at the FCDO’s crisis hub in central London, Sunak told broadcasters: “The first flight has taken everybody that was there at the airfield and could be processed.
“We actually have two more flights this evening, and then many more into tomorrow, which will be able to evacuate several hundred people if they can make their way to the airfield.”
Sunak said he could not “guarantee” the long-term safety of the air route being used given the volatility of the ceasefire, but other options were being considered.
Wallace said the UK will take over the facilitation of the Wadi Saeedna site after Germany said it was operating its final flight on Tuesday evening following the evacuation of around 500 people from 30 nations.
Sunak defended the UK’s tactics, saying it was “right” to give diplomats priority “because they were being targeted”.
“The security situation on the ground in Sudan is complicated, it is volatile and we wanted to make sure we could put in place processes that are going to work for people, that are going to be safe and effective,” Sunak said.
He added that the UK is “working together with international partners to try and bring about a more sustained ceasefire and hopefully a return to civilian government in Sudan,” describing that as the “best solution to avoid more humanitarian impact”.
British passport holders are being urged to make their way to the airfield where priority will be given to the most vulnerable, with more than 2,000 citizens having registered in Sudan with the FCDO.
Africa minister Andrew Mitchell said British citizens experiencing fuel shortages must still make their own way to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip to be evacuated and should “ideally” be “pre-cleared” before they arrive.
Foreign secretary James Cleverly.earlier warned that it is “impossible” to ascertain how long the pause in fighting will last after the rival generals agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.