'The UK should use every means at our disposal to bring people home from Sudan'
At 6pm tonight the last evacuation flight from Khartoum took off. It was the final flight in a mission that has seen more than 1,500 people flown home from the war-torn country.
Since conflict broke out two weeks ago, those caught up in the fighting have been involved in a desperate attempt to escape. It is already a bloody conflict.
More than 500 killed and more than 4,500 wounded – though the UN says those numbers could be higher.
Andrew Mitchell, our minister for Africa, warned of “vast areas of disorder, chaos and misery” if the conflict continued.
And the advice for all foreign nationals – and civilians – is head for safety as soon as possible.
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People walk among scattered objects in the market of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur (AFP via Getty Images)The charter flights put on by the UK government have been a vital lifeline. Now they’ve stopped. But people are still stranded, no way out, surrounded by danger.
The evacuation flights themselves are risky. A Turkish plane sent to rescue people has already been shot at. So people are trying by any means necessary to escape.
One family stuck on the border with Egypt said drivers were charging more than £30,000 to help them flee.
Thousands flocked to ports to try to board rescue ships.
The situation is chaotic. What is needed is clear thinking from the UK Government as they try to get everyone home safely.
We need the exact opposite of the way they handled the fall of Kabul.
This time round, a U-turn on NHS doctors stranded in Sudan was welcome.
Many were told they would not be able to travel but the Government quickly changed the rules. It meant many medics got the help they needed to escape.
Among them was Dr Abdulrahman Babiker, who landed in Cyprus yesterday. The NHS doctor urged the Government to keep the flights open longer as colleagues of his could not make the deadline.
Every effort must be made to make that happen: co-operation with our international allies, diplomatic pressure in the region and the opening of corridors for safe evacuations.
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The UK should use every means at our disposal to bring our people home.
Party nation
Already the bunting is going up across the land, cakes are being baked, street parties planned – it’s Coronation Fever.
There’s a bank holiday, lots of entertainment and the ceremony itself is going to be something truly special.
Even – and we don’t want to jinx it here – the weather forecast is looking good.
Millions of us are going to tune in, watching with family and friends and taking part in all the fun over the long weekend. It looks like it might cost us £250million in the end.
Well, with a price tag like that, it’s going to be the party of a lifetime.
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