London, Thanasis Gavos

The operation of the British armed forces to remove British nationals from war-torn Sudan, through an airport north of the capital Khartoum, is underway.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke on Twitter of a “large-scale evacuation” in a “complex operation”. Around 4,000 British nationals are estimated to be in Sudan.

The British Ministry of Defense released photos of around 40 members of British special forces at the Akrotiri base in Cyprus receiving final instructions in the early hours of the morning and boarding a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft bound for that airport.

Half an hour after landing, this aircraft left again for Akrotiri where it arrived at noon, carrying not rescued civilians but members of the armed forces that had been deployed in Sudan earlier.

A second A400 transport aircraft has also departed from Akrotiri bound for the same airport, as reported by Sky News

Also, according to the BBC, a larger capacity military transport aircraft, type KC2, landed in Akrotiri at noon on a flight from Britain.

Over 4,000 “trapped”

In an emergency travel advisory posted on social media, the Foreign Office states that the Sudanese evacuation operation is taking place today from Wadi Saeedna Airport.

British nationals are being asked to travel in their own vehicles to the area “as soon as possible” so that the necessary procedure can be carried out to board the emergency flights.

As emphasized, the operation only concerns British passport holders and their spouses or minor children, as long as there is no entry ban in the UK.

It is estimated that up to 4,000 people fall under these categories, with 2,000 having sought help from British authorities in the past few days.

Priority will be given to families with children, the elderly or people with proven health problems.