British citizens complain of being 'abandoned' in Sudan

The United Kingdom said on Monday that it was working "round the clock" to evacuate its citizens from conflict-hit Sudan. However, those stuck in the conflict-hit country say that they feel abandoned. Britain on Sunday evacuated its diplomats as deadly battles rage in Khartoum, but it has not said anything about rescuing its citizens in Sudan.

British citizens in Sudan and their families complain that they have been abandoned by the government. A similar situation and complaints rang through when the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday the country's armed forces evacuated diplomatic staff and their family members from Sudan. Sunak called it a "complex and rapid" evacuation, saying there had been a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff.

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Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell said, "We are urgently exploring all routes for British nationals to leave Sudan should they wish to do so."

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However, there are others who want the government to come up with a concrete plan to evacuate citizens from Sudan. Lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, chairman of a parliamentary defence committee, called for a "clear-cut plan" to get British passport holders out.

"If that plan does not emerge today, then individuals will then lose faith and then start making their own way back," he told the television channel GB News, saying that could lead to "some very difficult situations".

One man told BBC that he was forced to make his own evacuation arrangements, even as other countries got their citizens out of the country.

Mitchell said that around 2,000 British passport holders had contacted the UK authorities to inform of their presence in Sudan.

"The situation is absolutely desperate and a ceasefire is what is required," Mitchell said. He added that the "only advice that Britain can give to people is to stay indoors because that is the safe option".

(With inputs from agencies)

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