UK coordinating with its nationals for evacuation from Sudan

London [UK], April 25 : UK Government on Tuesday started contacting nationals directly and providing routes for departure out of the country after the rival factions agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.

"The UK government is coordinating an evacuation of British nationals from Sudan. We have started contacting nationals directly and providing routes for departure out of the country," tweeted UK's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

The updated information on evacuation plans advised British nationals against all travel to Sudan. "Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advised against travel to Sudan for security reasons," read the UK Government press release.

The British Government will support the departure of British passport holders from Sudan from April 25 on a prioritised basis.

"Seats will be allocated on a priority basis, starting with family groups with children and/or the elderly or individuals with documented medical conditions. We can only evacuate British passport holders and immediate family members (defined as a spouse/partner and children under 18 years old) with existing UK entry clearance. Travel within Sudan is conducted at your own risk and plans may change depending on the security situation. We will contact those who are eligible for evacuation directly - please do not make your way to the airfield unless you are called," added the release.

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) said the US and Saudi Arabia mediated the truce, scheduled to start at midnight local time (22:00 GMT Monday), reported Al Jazeera.

In a written statement Monday, the RSF said it had agreed to the truce "in order to open humtarian corridors, facilitate the movement of citizens and residents, enable them to fulfill their needs, reach hospitals and safe areas, and evacuate diplomatic missions."

"We are closely monitoring the situation in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan where there are ongoing military clashes. There is now fighting in various locations across Sudan. Khartoum International Airport is currently closed," added the release.

It also said that the UK Govt is continuing to work up other options to assist British nationals wanting to leave Sudan, including at other points of exit.

However, the release warned British nationals to be aware of unverified reports of independent convoys planning to depart Khartoum towards Port Sudan.

"The British Embassy has no involvement with these convoys and any British nationals who attempt to travel in one would do so at their own risk. British nationals will also have seen that we have now evacuated the embassy due to the specific threat to diplomats. We will no longer be able to provide in-person or in-country consular support," added the release.

Fighting erupted between the army and the RSF paramilitary group on April 15 and has killed at least 427 people, knocked out hospitals and other services, and turned residential areas into war zones. Millions of people remain trapped in their homes in the capital Khartoum and are running short on food and water.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the violence in a country that flanks the Red Sea, Horn of Africa and Sahel regions "risks a catastrophic conflagration ... that could engulf the whole region and beyond".

He urged the 15 members of the UN Security Council to use their clout to return Sudan to the path of democratic transition after a 2021 military coup that followed the fall of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising, reported Al Jazeera.

"We must all do everything within our power to pull Sudan back from the edge of the abyss ... We stand with them at this terrible time," Guterres said, adding that he had authorised temporary relocation of some UN personnel and families.

The Security Council has planned a meeting on Sudan on Tuesday, reported Al Jazeera.