PRESS RELEASE : 2197 people safely evacuated from Sudan by the UK [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 May 2023.

The UK has evacuated 2197 people to safety from Sudan, in the longest and largest airlift by any Western nation during the crisis.

• UK Government arranged extra evacuation flights from Port Sudan today (Monday, May 1).
• Follows end of UK evacuation flights from Wadi Saeedna airfield, near Khartoum, on Saturday evening (29 April).
• Total number of people evacuated is now 2197 (as of 17:30 Monday 1 May), in the longest and largest evacuation from Sudan by any Western nation

The UK has evacuated 2197 people to safety from Sudan, in the longest and largest airlift by any Western nation during the crisis, as the attention now turns to humanitarian and diplomatic efforts.

Further flights were expected from Port Sudan on Monday evening, supporting British nationals and others – including Sudanese doctors working in the NHS – who have arrived in Port Sudan.

In addition to British nationals, the UK has also helped evacuate 1087 people from other nations, including the US, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, Germany and Australia.

The UK Government is no longer running evacuation flights from Wadi Saeedna airfield because of a significant decline in the number of British nationals coming forward and an increasingly volatile situation on the ground.

A UK team is now set up at Port Sudan to provide consular assistance, including to British nationals leaving by commercial routes.

Royal Navy ship HMS Lancaster is supporting evacuation efforts from Sudan.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

With thanks to the extraordinary efforts of staff and military, the UK has brought 2197 people to safety from Sudan so far – the largest airlift by any Western nation.

As the focus turns to humanitarian and diplomatic efforts, we will continue do all we can to press for a long-term ceasefire and an immediate end to the violence in Sudan.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Yet again the men and women of our Armed Forces have led the way. In one week, the RAF have flown more than 20 flights, deployed over a thousand personnel, evacuated over 2,000 civilians and helped citizens from more than 20 countries to get home.

HMS Lancaster will remain at Port Sudan and her crew will continue to help provide support.

The UK is leading diplomatic efforts for peace in Sudan, with International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell in Nairobi over the weekend, meeting with Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto and African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat to discuss the conflict in Sudan.

The UK Ambassador to Sudan was deployed to Addis Ababa last week (27 April) to support the UK’s diplomatic regional response to Sudan from the British Embassy in Ethiopia.

The UK is also exploring options to provide effective humanitarian assistance to people in Sudan, in close coordination with international partners, the UN, and NGOs. The UK is a committed donor in Sudan, having spent over £250 million in humanitarian aid in the last five years.

The UK continues to provide consular support to British nationals in Port Sudan and in neighbouring countries in the region.

The safety of all British nationals in Sudan continues to be our utmost priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice. The situation remains volatile and our ability to conduct evacuations could change at short notice.