Britain has put a number of military aircraft on “readiness to move” in case needed to evacuate embassy staff and UK citizens from Sudan amid deadly clashes, Sky News has learnt.
No decision has yet been taken by the Foreign Office for the armed forces to mobilise to help with any rescue mission, according to Whitehall sources.
They described the activity within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as “prudent planning” to prepare for any eventuality.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to chair a ministerial meeting on Sudan on Friday evening.
The different types of aircraft that could be used in an evacuation include helicopters and transport planes with the ability to operate in an active conflict zone.
One source said aircraft were “on readiness to move”. A second source said that any movement of equipment should be seen in the context of careful planning in case required.
Another evacuation option for the UK would be to ask the United States or France, which have larger military footprints in the region, to assist with the rescue of Britons.
A destroyed military vehicle in Khartoum. Pic: AP
Fierce fighting has gripped Sudan for the past few days as government forces clash with a paramilitary group, leaving dozens of people killed and residents hiding in their homes.
Underlining the tense and fluid nature of the situation, the British Council – which is separate to the British embassy – has already evacuated its staff from Sudan, a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson was unable to say how the personnel were evacuated for safety reasons.
“We are relieved to share that all colleagues who were in our office have been evacuated and are now home. The safety and security of our colleagues is always our highest priority,” the British Council spokesperson said.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is leading the UK’s response to the crisis. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly cut short a trip to New Zealand to fly home overnight.
There are thought to be dozens of UK diplomats and other officials at the embassy in Khartoum as well as hundreds of UK citizens in Sudan. The figure rises into the thousands if dual nationals are also included.
The UK could launch its own evacuation mission or join any multinational effort, depending on the level of risk that government ministers were willing to take given that it would involve deploying military forces into a country where active fighting is taking place.
Among the assets available are bigger and smaller transport planes as well as helicopters.
UK troops could potentially deploy across the border into the vast country by land or helicopter to facilitate any evacuation.
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Summing up the challenge, a defence source said: “There are a lot of people on the ground with a lot of weapons and they do not like each other. At the moment, no one knows who is going to win this particular fight.”
The Foreign Office might decide that it is safe enough for its people to remain in place.
“But if it is looking like there could be possible body bags containing diplomatic staff coming back then things become more tense and the risk appetite increases quite dramatically.”
Another possible option for the UK would be to arrange places for UK diplomats and citizens within any US or French evacuation effort.
The Pentagon has been moving more troops to the African nation of Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation of US Embassy staff in Sudan, according to the New York Times.
France also has a large military presence in the region. Sudan was once a French colony.
Additional reporting by Jakub Szweda
