Summary

  • The first flight evacuating UK nationals from Sudan lands in Cyprus - two more flights are planned overnight

  • It comes after the Foreign Office urged British nationals in the country to head to an airfield north of Khartoum

  • It marked a change of advice from this morning when the Foreign Office told people not to head to the airbase until they were contacted

  • It follows criticism from Brits stuck in Sudan who say they feel abandoned while other foreign nationals and embassy staff were flown out

  • So far the EU has airlifted more than 1,000 of its citizens out, mainly on French and German rescue missions

  • Many African countries have also got citizens out, but Kenyan students stuck in Khartoum tell the BBC they are desperate for help

  • Rival military factions have been fighting for 10 days. A shaky ceasefire appears to be holding, although there have been reports of new gunfire and shelling

  • Separately, the World Health Organization is warning of a "high risk of biological hazard" after a laboratory storing pathogens was seized

Live Reporting

Edited by Alexandra Fouché

  1. British troops supporting airfield operation

    More on the UK’s evacuation plans now. As we reported earlier, the first flight carrying British nationals has left Sudan and is on its way to Cyprus. Downing Street says that if all goes according to plan, those people will then be flown to the UK "fairly rapidly".

    Around 120 British troops are supporting the operation at the airfield near Khartoum, according to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. It is currently being secured by the German military, and UK forces have the "capacity" to take over should allied troops leave, Wallace added.

  2. Indian navy ship sails into Port Sudan

    Indian Navy ship the INS Teg (F45) sails into Port Sudan@MEAIndia / Twitter / India's Ministry of External Affairs

    A spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs has tweeted that a naval ship has arrived at Port Sudan to support the evacuation of the country's stranded citizens.

    Arindam Bagchi also shared several images showing the military vessel called the INS Teg on his official Twitter account and said the ship had also been loaded with "essential relief supplies" for Indian nationals.

  3. 'Chaos' at Egyptian border as bus-loads of people wait to cross

    Tom Bateman
    Reporting from Abu Simbel, Egypt

    People disembark from a passenger bus in Sudan's Northern State on 25 April 2023AFP

    People in Sudan took buses to reach the Egyptian border in the north

    “We saw death in front us,” a Sudanese man says when I ask him about his family’s decision to abandon Khartoum under fire.

    He gestures towards his relatives at this road-side snack stop in the desert: “The tanks were 20 metres from his place… it was a very tough trip,” he says.

    They escaped the shelling while bodies lay strewn on the streets before a perilous 600-mile (960km) journey north. They’ve arrived here in the ancient lake-side town of Abu Simbel on the Egyptian side of the border.

    Sudanese women step off buses carrying their children and the only possessions they could grab in time.

    I’m told that some men are being turned back at the crossing for further visa processing in the nearest Sudanese city south of the border, which is now seeing a build-up of evacuees. One man tells me the border was chaotic with bus-loads of people waiting in baking temperatures at the Argeen crossing, which lies around 20 miles south from where we are.

    Most of those coming across into Egypt are Sudanese, but some foreign and dual nationals have also made the journey.

    From here, they travel north, mostly by bus, to the city of Aswan and then on to Cairo.

    On Sunday, the Egyptian authorities said 5,000 passengers, mostly Sudanese, had crossed Argeen. Some are being given aid by the Egyptian Red Crescent.

  4. RAF flight expected in Cyprus later

    More on the flight that has left Sudan carrying British nationals.

    The UK prime minister’s spokesperson says there will be "at least" two more flights overnight, but adds that this is subject to change.

    The statement goes on to say that the situation is "fast moving" but the flight that has left Sudan is expected in Cyprus later.

  5. First flight carrying UK nationals leaves Sudan
    Breaking

    Downing Street says the first flight carrying British nationals has left Sudan. Two more are planned overnight.

  6. In pictures: Nations evacuate their citizens

    As the UK mission to evacuate British nationals from Sudan gets under way, we take a look at some images of people from other countries who have managed to escape the conflict in the past 24 hours.

    An elder Greek citizen, rescued from Sudan, is walked by a soldier on the airstrip after disembarking a Hellenic Air Force C-27 aircraft, from Aswan, Egypt, at the military airport of Elefsina, on 25 April 2023Getty Images

    Hundreds of nationals from many EU countries, including this elderly woman from Greece (pictured), have already been repatriated

    Evacuees from war-torn Sudan are processed by members of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) as they disembark from a military plane upon their arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in Nairobi, Kenya, on 24 April 2023Getty Images

    A number of Kenyan students have told the BBC they are struggling to escape Sudan. Here, some of the luckier ones - and a number of Somali citizens - arrive in Nairobi

    Lebanese citizen Ali Mazloum (R), evacuated from Sudan, hugs his wife after arriving at the Rafik Hariri international airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on 25 April 2023EPA

    There were emotional scenes at Beirut international airport in Lebanon as a dozen of its citizens returned home from Sudan

    Personnel of the joint forces get briefed as they prepare to depart for Sudan to evacuate British embassy diplomats and their families, in RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus April 25, 2023Reuters

    RAF forces in Cyprus prepare for a rescue mission after the UK announced the start of its operation to evacuate British citizens from Sudan earlier today

    People line up to get on buses in Khartoum on 25 AprilGetty Images

    Meanwhile in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, people are still trying to escape the violent clashes that have left more than 450 dead

  7. Seaborne evacuation being considered - UK defence secretary

    UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says the Royal Marines are scoping out a possible seaborne evacuation from Port Sudan, some 500 miles (800km) away from the intense fighting in the capital, Khartoum.

    "It is a more benign environment, it is an access into the Red Sea and to commercial airports in places like Jeddah (in Saudi Arabia) and gives us space and time in order to process many people there," he said.

    He said Royal Marines were already in Port Sudan to "establish the safety of the area and any options" so "we are in a good position there should we wish to increase support".

  8. What's the latest from Sudan?

    Let’s take a look at some of the top news lines coming out of Sudan so far today:

    • Ten days into the conflict, the UK has started a mission to evacuate British nationals and their families after criticism from some UK citizens who said they felt abandoned
    • The operation is happening amid a 72-hour truce agreed between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - which has mostly held
    • The Foreign Office is advising stranded Brits to head to an airfield north of the capital where they will be flown by the RAF to Cyprus before returning to the UK
    • An RAF plane has landed in Cyprus after stopping in Khartoum earlier today but we don't know whether any evacuees were on the flight
    • The EU and many African countries have already airlifted many of their citizens out of Sudan but some Kenyan students stuck in Khartoum say they are desperate for help
    • The capital Khartoum is facing food and water shortages and power outages - and now a "high risk of biological hazard", according to the World Health Organization, after a laboratory containing samples of polio and measles was seized by a group of fighters

  9. 'Utter devastation': British businessman on escaping from Khartoum

    A businessman from the UK called Sam has told the BBC's Africa correspondent, Andrew Harding, what he and his colleagues saw on their way to the Egyptian border as they escaped from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

    "Burnt-out cars, blackened buildings, rubble": that's how Sam recalls the scenes around his apartment as and his colleagues tried to make their way to a safe point in Khartoum to be collected by a driver.

    He says the company they work for tried to send several cars to his residence, but the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) wouldn't let them through their checkpoints.

    As they made their way to their car, he says they were stopped and robbed by three young men, "brandishing Kalashnikovs" before being let go.

    They were then driven to a safe house and made it on to a packed bus departing for the Egyptian border.

    Sam describes the scenes leaving Khartoum as "utter devastation" and says there were corpses of dead soldiers lining the streets with "looting and destruction everywhere".

    It's taken them 15 hours to make it to the border, but they now have to wait until Wednesday morning before they can cross over to leave Sudan.

  10. Get to airfield for evacuation, UK nationals told

    We're hearing a bit more from the UK Foreign Office, which is now urging British passport holders and their families to head directly to an airfield north of Khartoum.

    This is a change to the previous advice which told British nationals not to head to the airfied until they were contacted.

    The updated advisory says flights will leave from Wadi Saeedna airfield.

    It shares the GPS coordinates: 15° 48 10 N, 32° 29 32 E

    And the WhatThreeWords for the geolocation app are: refusals.atom.herds

    In a tweet, the government advises people to "travel to the location as soon as possible to be processed for the flight".

    FCDO guidanceUK Government

    The Foreign Office says they can only evacuate British passport holders and immediate family members with existing UK entry clearance.

  11. Somali student tells of kind strangers on way to safety

    Bushra Mohamed
    BBC News

    Abdirahman ShangaxAbdirahman Shangax

    Abdirahman Shangax, a postgraduate student, now wants to return to Somalia

    A Somali student who has managed to flee Khartoum has told the BBC about the kindness of strangers who tried to help him on his journey.

    "It took me nine hours to reach the city of Gedaref; during our journey, we were scared, but people from the neighbouring towns were voluntarily giving us snack and water," Abdirahman Shangax said.

    Gedaref is the capital of Gedaref state in eastern Sudan on the border with Ethiopia.

    Shangax said he "left Khartoum after soldiers took over" his university and "started using the classrooms as battle trenches".

    The BBC received a similar report on Monday from a Kenyan student who was also studying at the International University of Africa, saying fighting forces had taken over part of the campus.

    "I am planning to go to Somalia, I was only in Sudan as a postgraduate and I can no longer stay in Gedaref as I don't know anyone," Shangax added.

    Young people standing outside a busAbdirahman Shangax

    These young people were on their way to Gedaref, which borders Ethiopia

  12. 'Obviously the ceasefire hasn't taken'

    Oliver Slow
    Live reporter

    I’ve spoken over a broken phone line with Tagreed Abdin, who lives in Khartoum.

    Throughout the day she’s been hearing shelling and gunfire on and off.

    “Obviously the ceasefire hasn’t taken,” she says.

    She had to pause our interview halfway through as she said she heard shelling and gunfire outside.

    “We’re ok,” she said after it ended, with a slight nervousness in her voice.

    She says she feels safer in her home than she does on the streets – as long as they have access to electricity and water.

    “We’re hoping and praying the power stays on,” she says.

    With many Sudanese people leaving, I ask her why she’s decided to stay.

    One reason is financial – a bus ticket that cost $20 (£16) before the conflict began has now risen to about $300, she says.

    But there are also logistical challenges. Her elderly mother is a wheelchair user, making it difficult for her to get onto a bus, while there are also visa issues for her husband and teenage sons if they go to Egypt, where many people are fleeing to.

    “It’s not a case of pack your bags and run," she says.

  13. In pictures: UK evacuation mission under way

    As we've been telling you, the UK government has launched an evacuation plan for British nationals in Sudan.

    Some 2,000 British citizens in Sudan are registered with the Foreign Office to be evacuated.

    In the pictures below we can see preparations being made in the RAF base in Cyprus ahead of the mission.

    One RAF flight which took off from Khartoum earlier has landed back in Cyprus, though at the moment we don't have any information on who is on that flight.

    Joint Forces board the C-130 bound for Sudan to evacuate British embassy diplomats and their families, in RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, on 25 April 2023ROYAL NAVY/MARK JOHNSON HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

    The mission to evacuate civilians from Sudan has begun in Cyprus

    Joint Forces board a C-130 bound for Sudan. Personnel of 3 Commando Brigade and Joint Force Head Quarters deployed to Cyprus in support of the FCDO Non-combative Evacuation Operation to remove personnel from Sudan.ROYAL NAVY/MARK JOHNSON HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

    About 1,400 military personnel are involved in the rescue effort

    Ministry of Defence handout photo of soldiers boarding a C-130 bound for Sudan deployed to Cyprus in support of the FCDO Non-combatant Evacuate Operation to remove personnel from SudanLPHOT Mark Johnson/PA Wire

    The plan involves C-130 Hercules transport planes, with flights taking place from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus

  14. BBC News Get in touch imageBBC News

    Are you living in Sudan or trying to leave? Or worrying about friends and relatives who are? If you're affected, you can contact us to tell us about what's happening and how you're managing.

    You can get in touch in the following ways if it is safe to do so:

    In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.

  15. RAF flight lands in Cyprus, with more to come

    We can now confirm that an RAF flight which took off from Khartoum earlier has landed in Cyprus.

    We are expecting another landing later this afternoon. At this stage, we don't have any details on who is on these flights.

    This is obviously a high-risk and delicate operation, and the Ministry of Defence is not releasing a huge amount of information as it unfolds.

  16. We've been waiting seven hours for a bus - Nigerian student

    Natasha Booty
    BBC News

    "We're still hopeful," says a 22-year-old Nigerian student in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, who has been waiting since 06:00 (04:00 GMT) for a bus to flee the city.

    Temperatures there can reach 43C (109F) in the midday heat and drinking water is hard to come by; yet she says many fellow Nigerians are waiting outside in full sun to make sure they do not miss their chance to get home.

    Evacuations are set to go ahead on Tuesday, the head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NDC) told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme on Monday night.

    Asked why the Nigerian authorities took so long to announce evacuation plans, the NDC said they first had to secure permission from both military factions for safe passage.

  17. 'I'm under the bed…things are very unpredictable' - Khartoum resident

    We've been hearing from a resident of Khartoum who says there is gunfire going off near where she is. We are not identifying her for safety reasons.

    As we reported earlier, a ceasefire is supposed to be in place to allow civilians to get supplies and for some to get to safety.

    The resident was speaking via voice note and what sounds like possible gunfire could be heard in the background.

    She told us the situation remained dire. "I'm under the bed. Things are very unpredictable," she said, adding: "I'm just worried they'll cut the internet again."

    She also described how some people have been getting by without essentials:

    My friends - medical students - were stuck at various hospitals and got home on days five and six [of the conflict]. They survived eating baby food from the hospital pharmacy.”

    We're waiting to get back in touch once she's in a safer location.

  18. We're waiting for RAF plane to arrive in Cyprus

    We've been waiting for an RAF plane which left Khartoum to land in Cyprus. There is currently a UK military aircraft on the runway but we are not sure where it is headed.

    We reported a few minutes ago that the plane from Sudan had landed but it looks like this is still a little while off. And it's worth saying, we still don't know if any UK evacuees are onboard.

  19. I'm concerned for safety of family and friends - ex-refugee from Sudan in UK

    AhmedAhmed

    Ahmed in Hull came to the UK in 2003 as a survivor of the government's campaign of ethnic cleansing in Darfur, which some say was a genocide.

    Former President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity - which he denies.

    Speaking to Radio 5 Live, Ahmed says he's "really concerned" for the safety of his friends and family who are in the displacement zone.

    "I had contact two days ago with a friend," he adds; "he told me many people are being killed - you can see the bodies in the street."

    Ahmed has also not heard from his sister for two days because of poor phone reception.

    "There is nobody to protect the people... the situation now is absolutely getting worse," he says.

  20. 'The embassy isn't answering': Desperate Kenyan students consider fleeing to border

    Natasha Booty
    BBC News

    Inside a Khartoum mosqueMu’mia Dawe

    Mu’mia Dawe and others stayed overnight in this mosque in Khartoum

    "I'm exhausted and weak," says 25-year-old Mu’mia Dawe, who is sheltering in a mosque in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, without food, water or medication while suffering from flu and fever symptoms.

    She is among a group of Kenyan students who say their calls to their embassy are going unanswered. I spoke to her on Monday about her situation.

    Part of her campus at the International University of Africa in Khartoum has been occupied by one of the rival military forces fighting in the city.

    After many days of waiting for help as intermittent gunfire and explosions ring outside, the students are facing tough decisions.

    Days ago some desperate students decided to flee to the Ethiopian border with their own money, she tells the BBC.

    Reports of their escape from the capital aired on Kenyan TV and gave Dawe's family false hope - so they are so disappointed to learn she is still stuck in Khartoum, she says.

    For now, she is sticking close to a group of friends - but as exasperation and fear set in, some say they want to try their luck at escaping too.