Image source, Getty Images

Rescue operations by a number of countries have intensified with the ceasefire set to expire tonight, but tens of thousands of Sudanese nationals are also fleeing the violence in their own country.

A Sudanese man, Ashraf, is trying to reach the Egyptian border by bus.

He called on the leaders of the clashing parties to end the fighting: "I ask Generals Burhan and Hemeti to end the war because the Sudanese people are suffering and they don't deserve this.

"I ask you to sit down at a negotiation table and resolve your issues, because this is your own conflict, not that of the Sudanese people."

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, Getty Images

This is a race against time, circumstances and numbers.

And all three are bleak. Time is ticking down to the ceasefire ending.

And the latest numbers published by the Foreign Office make it look, on the face of it, like it will be very difficult to get every Brit out in time before the fighting resumes.

Sources tell me there is the capacity to increase the frequency of flights out of Khartoum. There is also the option of taking people out by ship from Port Sudan.

Contingency planning is under way for what to do when the ceasefire ends.

The government argues using UK Special Forces would be hugely dangerous, as it would risk drawing the UK into the conflict.

It is worth mentioning too that there is not a domestic political row here at Westminster about how the government is handling things.

Click here to read more.

The UK will not offer coaches to help evacuees get to the airbase in Sudan, says Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

Speaking on the BBC's Today programme, Cleverly was asked why the UK had not provided coaches to shuttle evacuees to the exit point, as other countries including Turkey have done.

Cleverly said the "small number" of attempted convoys had come under attack.

He added: "It's not possible for us to give protected convoys from what could potentially have been a large number of locations."

There's no doubt this is a complicated story - let's get up to speed:

• Who's fighting who? Two military men are battling to be in control. They are General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti. Together they'd been leading a council of generals but now disagree on how Sudan should be run
• Why did it start? It's unclear who fired the first shot but members of Hemedti's paramilitary force, the Rapid Support Forces, were redeployed around the country. The military saw this as a threat and fighting swiftly escalated
• Why have civilians got caught up? Although the conflict seems to be around the control of key installations, much of the fighting is happening in built-up urban areas. So civilians have been caught in the crossfire.
• Where is Sudan? It's in north-east Africa. It's one of the largest countries on the continent but it's also one of the poorest in the world

Read more here.

Image source, .

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has denied German complaints over its evacuation of diplomats.

There are claims that British forces landed in Sudan without the Sudanese army's permission, jeopardising other countries' evacuation efforts.

But, speaking on the Today programme, Cleverly insisted permissions had been granted for those flights.

However, he added: "Obviously we see a situation in Sudan where... communications within the Sudanese system are often disrupted, so I will of course look at the circumstances of that."

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

Image source, Ministry of Defence Crown Copyright

It’s thought around 2,000 Britons in Sudan have registered with the UK but it’s not clear how many want to leave the country and whether some have already fled.

UK officials have said they think the operation at the airfield is working well.

There’s a few in government that think it would be more dangerous to send troops in to escort people.

But they acknowledge that could change quickly - particularly if the ceasefire expires.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has defended the UK government's evacuation strategy from Sudan.

Whilst other countries began telling citizens to leave immediately, Cleverly said that waiting for the ceasefire had saved British lives.

Challenged over evacuation delays on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "All journeys are risky - this is an active war zone.

"Whilst there were bullets flying around Khartoum, our advice was for British people to stay out of the conflict zone.

"Other nations attempted to move and were sadly caught up in that conflict - all these things are a difficult balance."

With the three-day ceasefire set to expire tonight, South Sudan says it is leading efforts to mediate an extension.

Foreign Minister Deng Dau Deng told the BBC a 72-hour extension would enable the evacuation of foreign nationals and the creation of a humanitarian corridor between the capital and other cities.

He said President Salva Kiir's proposal of face-to-face discussions between the warring parties had been accepted by the Sudanese army but their rivals, the Rapid Support Forces, had not yet responded

The UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, has also confirmed to the BBC he's trying to organise an extension to the current US-brokered truce. He says he is deeply concerned about reports of fighting, looting and attacks on civilians in Sudan's West Darfur region.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011 as the outcome of a 2005 agreement that ended Africa's longest-running civil war.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warns he cannot offer guarantees about what will happen in Sudan - if and when the current ceasefire ends.

He says the UK had "always planned to evacuate under whatever circumstances on the ground".

Speaking to Sky News, Cleverly said: "The ceasefire that we had called for in conjunction with our international allies has made it considerably easier."

But he added: "We cannot predict exactly what will happen when that ceasefire ends, but what we do know is it will be much, much harder, potentially impossible.

"So, what we're saying to British nationals is if you're hesitant, if you're weighing up your options, our strong, strong advice is to go through Wadi Seidna whilst the ceasefire is up and running.

"There are planes, there is capacity, we will lift you out.

"I'm not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire has ended. "

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is advising British citizens in Sudan to get out now.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Cleverly says British nationals were "scattered" across the capital Khartoum, making evacuation more complex.

"That is why we've been saying through all our communication channels... now is the time to move.

"We have the aircraft, we have the capacity and we have a ceasefire that comes to an end tonight, so we are saying to people if you want to have our support to fly out of Sudan, do so now."

Nick Garnett, in Cyprus

About 40 more British nationals have arrived at the airport in Larnaca from local hotels.

I've just arrived at Larnaca myself, due to fly back to the UK later this morning.

People on board told me they were delighted and very pleased at the way they had been looked after by both British and German military at an airfield, 20 miles north of Khartoum.

One says they hope to go back to Sudan as soon as the country is safe.

Further UK evacuations from Sudan are not guaranteed once the ceasefire ends, the foreign secretary has warned.

Only a fraction of British nationals have been evacuated from the war zone, with 536 airlifted so far.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged everyone planning to leave ahead of the end of the 72-hour ceasefire today at midnight local time (22:00 GMT).

"We cannot guarantee how many flights will depart once the ceasefire ends," he said.

"If you plan to leave Sudan please travel to the British evacuation centre as soon as possible."

Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent

A UK defence source describes accusations by Germany that Britain delayed other countries' efforts to rescue their own citizens as "complete nonsense".

"It is complete nonsense to claim that we landed in Sudan without permission from the Sudanese army. We had permission," says the source.

Jenny Hill
Reporting from Berlin

Image source, Getty Images

British attempts to evacuate its embassy staff from Sudan at the weekend delayed efforts by other countries to rescue their own citizens, say senior German political sources.

They allege British forces landed in Sudan without the Sudanese army's permission - as other European nations were hoping to airlift citizens to safety.

Germany, among others, had planned to use the airfield north of Khartoum from which subsequent evacuation operations have been conducted.

But, the sources say, the "unannounced British military presence" so angered the Sudanese army that they refused access to the facility.

According to one source, having landed without permission, the British had to pay the army before leaving.

And negotiations to use the airfield meant that German rescuers "lost at least half a day" during what was, at the time, considered to be a very small window of opportunity.

The UK Ministry of Defence denied that it was responsible for any delay.

Read more here.

The Sudanese army has expressed its willingness to extend a three-day ceasefire that is due to expire on Thursday, as diplomats step up talks to end the fighting between forces loyal to rival military generals.

The outbreak of violence has left more than 400 people dead and forced tens of thousands to flee the country.

The East African regional bloc, IGAD, wants the current US-brokered truce, which has been undermined by ongoing clashes, to be extended for a further three days.

The Sudanese army said late on Wednesday that it had agreed on the idea of sending a delegate to Juba in neighbouring South Sudan to discuss the plan with the Rapid Support Forces.

But the RSF have not immediately responded to the proposal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke to the African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat about a collaboration “to create a sustainable cessation of hostilities and end the fighting".

The UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, has said he's deeply concerned about reports of fighting, looting and attacks on civilians in Sudan's West Darfur region.

Jeremy Gahagan
BBC News Live reporter

Good morning and welcome along as we resume our live coverage of the situation in Sudan.

Fighting is continuing in parts of the country despite a 72-hour ceasefire largely holding.

The fragile ceasefire began at midnight local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday bringing a pause to a conflict which erupted on 15 April.

The Sudanese army said it was willing to send a representative to talks about extending the truce, but there has been no response from the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

At least 459 people have been killed since the fighting broke out although the actual number is thought to be much higher.

Evacuations from the country have been continuing, but UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said there is no guarantee further evacuation flights will leave Sudan once the ceasefire has ended.

The UK has airlifted 536 people from the east African country, and some have arrived back in the UK.

We’ll bring you updates throughout the day from our teams around the world, so please stay with us.

We're going to pause our live coverage here.

We've got plenty more on the latest in Sudan:

• Find out the latest on the ground in our main story here
• Read about the key details of the British evacuation effort here
• Understand the basics of the conflict here
• Keep up to date with all things Sudan with our feed of stories about the country here

The page was edited by Jamie Whitehead, Alex Therrien, Heather Sharp and Dulcie Lee. James Harness and Andrew Humphrey edited video.

The writers were Megan Fisher, Ece Goksedef, Oliver Slow, Christy Cooney, Tarik Habte, Gabriela Pomeroy, and Charley Adams reporting from Stansted Airport.

Image source, Reuters

We're going to pause our live coverage of Sudan soon, so let's recap what happened today.

Fighting is continuing in parts of Sudan despite a 72-hour ceasefire largely holding. At least 512 people have been killed since the violence broke out 11 days ago, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

Thousands are trying to flee, with the UN warning that a quarter of a million Sudanese could be on the move.

The first evacuation flight of British citizens in Sudan has touched down in London - 305 have boarded four flights from Khartoum to Cyprus so far. There were emotional scenes as families reunited in Stansted Airport.

Supplies are running low in Khartoum, with residents reporting a lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and cash.

Jenny Hill
Reporting from Berlin

British attempts to evacuate its embassy staff from Sudan at the weekend delayed efforts by other countries to rescue their own citizens, senior German political sources tell the BBC.

They allege that British forces landed in Sudan without the permission of the Sudanese army - as other European nations were hoping to airlift citizens to safety.

Germany, among others, had planned to use the airfield north of Khartoum from which subsequent evacuation operations have been conducted.

But, the sources say, the "unannounced British military presence" so angered the Sudanese army that they refused access to the facility.

According to one source, having landed without permission, the British had to pay the army before leaving.

And negotiations to use the airfield meant that German rescuers "lost at least half a day" during what was at the time considered to be a very small window of opportunity.

The UK Ministry of Defence denied that it was responsible for any delay.

Sudanese political researcher and analyst Kholood Khair has been speaking to the BBC from the eastern city of Port Sudan, where she has fled from the capital Khartoum.

She says the situation there is "quite calm", but fuel is in short supply. As a British citizen, she says it is "impossible" to get to the airbase north of Khartoum from where the UK is evacuating its nationals, so she is waiting to see if the UK government will eventually establish an evacuation operation from Port Sudan.

"I have to stress the evacuation here is not the story, the increasingly terrible humanitarian situation is," she says.

"If the international community can agree something of a ceasefire - enough to have these extractions - why can't it also use a ceasefire to bring in aid and make sure it goes to where it needs to go? There are people who need surgery, who have gunshot wounds... who have been hit and desperately need support," she adds."The drawdown by the international community - embassies, the UN, humanitarian aid organisations - is extremely worrying, it means not only do Sudanese people feel the have been left alone, they are effectively going it alone."