US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says 'actively working' to extend Sudan ceasefire

UK demands Sudan ceasefire extension: PM Sunak's spokesperson

Britain's ambassador in Sudan is speaking to the warring parties in the country to urge them to extend a 72-hour ceasefire that is due to expire tonight, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday.

"The British ambassador continues to speak to the warring parties in Sudan," the spokesperson told reporters.

"As part of that, we are obviously supporting an extension to the ceasefire and are lobbying for that".

The ambassador's remarks come as the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged British nationals to evacuate the country before the ceasefire ends.

(Reuters)

Canada completes first evacuation flight from Sudan: Defence Ministry

Canada's Defence Minister Anita Anand announced on Thursday the completion of her country's first military flight out of war-torn Sudan, carrying evacuees.

Few details were immediately shared, but Anand told a news conference in Nova Scotia province - home to Canada's Atlantic navy fleet - "a first Canadian evacuation flight from Sudan has taken place using an RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) CC-130 Hercules aircraft".

She declared the airlift brought to more than 180 the total number of Canadians who have fled Sudan since fighting erupted between the country's army and a paramilitary force. Dozens previously hitched a ride out of the country aboard allies' flights.

Efforts are ongoing "to ensure the maximum number of Canadians can be evacuated as soon as possible," Anand said, with additional evacuations planned "over the next number of days".

Out of 1,800 Canadians in Sudan registered with Canada's foreign ministry, 700 have requested help leaving the country, according to officials. Most of them reside in the capital Khartoum.

16,000 people, mostly Sudanese, have crossed from Sudan into Egypt

Some 16,000 people have crossed the border from Sudan into Egypt including 14,000 Sudanese citizens, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, as cited by Reuters.

The number includes 2,000 nationals of 50 other countries or members of international organisations, the ministry said.

More than 500 people have been killed in nearly two weeks of conflict between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary force, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are locked in a power struggle threatening to destabilise the wider region.

(Reuters)

Lebanese businessman flees Sudan fighting, returning to ailing Lebanon

Sudan-living Lebanese businessman Ahmad Shams , who sheltered in the hotel he ran in Khartoum from ongoing gunfire and shelling, said the violence scenes brought back flashbacks of the civil war that had shattered Beirut in his youth.

"It's the same picture - there are militias, there are international interests. War is just as intense in Sudan as it was in Lebanon for us," he told Reuters after returning to Beirut.

Shams, 59, who lived in Sudan for 17 years, had set up a hotel and restaurant in a prime location near Khartoum's main airport and ministries. When fighting flared between Sudan's army and a paramilitary force on April 15, those sites became targets.

He fled with his wife, 10-year-old son - even their cat - alongside other Lebanese nationals, but he said they had to rely on evacuation help from the Saudi Arabian authorities not those of his native Lebanon, a nation facing its deepest economic and political crisis since the civil war occurring many decades ago.

"We've returned to a country that's already collapsing. If there had been a choice to go somewhere else, I would not have come to Lebanon," he said.

More than 60 Lebanese have been evacuated so far from Sudan, including some there briefly for business and others who had made Sudan their home.

China evacuates 1,300 nationals, other citizens from Sudan

Chinese navy ships sent to rescue citizens from conflict-hit Sudan have also evacuated nationals from five other countries, the foreign ministry in Beijing said on Thursday.

Multiple nations have scrambled to evacuate embassy staff and citizens by road, air and sea from Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed hundreds and led to acute shortages of water, food, medicines and fuel.

Rescue operations have intensified since a 72-hour ceasefire took effect on Tuesday.

But some fighting was reported around Sudan on Thursday, as well as air strikes in the capital Khartoum.

So far, more than 1,300 Chinese nationals have been safely evacuated from Sudan. Some have left Sudan by Chinese military vessels and others are on their way. Upholding the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, China has helped citizens from 5 countries evacuate… pic.twitter.com/GCoRPFRdu3

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 27, 2023

"So far, more than 1,300 Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

She added that many had left Sudan on board Chinese naval vessels.

"We have helped citizens of five countries to evacuate Sudan on Chinese ships," Mao stated.

China says it is Sudan's largest trading partner, with more than 130 companies investing there by mid-2022.

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday it estimated about 1,500 of its nationals were in Sudan.

"Other countries have also asked for China's assistance in evacuation."

UK's Africa Minister says that end of ceasefire in Sudan could lead to humanitarian disaster

Andrew Mitchell, the Minister of State for Development in Africa said in statement that the end of US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan could lead to a "humanitarian disaster", while speaking at thinktank Chatham House on Thursday.

He stressed that it is "essential that a ceasefire is maintained and that a political process is secured", while adding that the UK will "continue to work tirelessly to help bring an end to the violence and provide vital humanitarian relief", according to the UK daily The Independent. 

RT Hon Andrew Mitchell ⁦@AndrewmitchMP⁩ at Chatham House - humanitarian disaster likely in Sudan- great to have a minister on top of his brief pic.twitter.com/EuZXzvJovo

— Hamish DBG (@HamishDBG) April 27, 2023

Earlier today, the UK has urged British nationals to evacuate the country - where fighting has entered its 13th day - before the ceasefire comes to an end.

United States, African nations race to prolong Sudan truce

The United States and African nations are racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday, with the Sudanese army giving an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continued.

The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces.

"Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that," the army statement said.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting, the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

(Reuters)

China sends navy to evacuate nationals stuck in Sudan

China has deployed its navy to rescue citizens from conflict-hit Sudan, the defence ministry in Beijing said on Thursday

"Recently, the security situation in Sudan has continued to deteriorate," Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said.

The navy was deployed on Wednesday, he added, "in order to protect the lives and property of Chinese people in Sudan". He did not specify the number of vessels involved.

China said on Monday it had safely evacuated an initial group of citizens, estimating about 1,500 of its nationals were in Sudan.

China says it is Sudan's largest trading partner, with more than 130 companies investing there as of mid-2022.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons and their relatives in Sudan to use evacuation flights on Thursday while they are still available, as the end of a temporary ceasefire looms.

London has evacuated 536 people on six flights since launching civilian airlifts late Tuesday, according to the foreign office, with further flights planned throughout Thursday.

Doubts are growing about the ability to continue the operation, after heavy battles occurred on the second full day of a three-day US-brokered truce.

The 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan ends tomorrow night (April 27).

We cannot guarantee how many further flights will depart once the ceasefire ends.

— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) April 26, 2023

"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," Cleverly told Sky News of continuing the evacuations beyond Thursday.

"So what we're saying to British nationals is if you're hesitant, if you're weighing up your options, our strong advice is to go".

"Whilst the ceasefire is up and running, there are planes, there's capacity, we will lift you out. We are not able to make those same assurances once a ceasefire is ended," he added to the UK broadcaster.

Meanwhile, France has evacuated more people from Sudan, Reuters said on Thursday, citing the French foreign ministry.

The French government added it had so far evacuated a total of 936 people from Sudan.