LONDON — Home Secretary Suella Braverman dismissed suggestions the U.K. failed to prioritize the evacuation of non-embassy staff from Sudan.
In a round of interviews Wednesday morning, the U.K. home secretary defended British evacuation efforts and rejected suggestions the government has been slow to help civilians leave the African nation, which has been plunged into conflict amid a power-struggle.
The British government has faced criticism for the speed of its evacuation. It removed U.K. diplomats from the country over the weekend, and began flights for other British passport-holders Tuesday. Ministers argued that the conditions on the ground were too dangerous pending a cease-fire, which began late Monday, and flights carrying Brits from Sudan began landing in Cyprus overnight. More are due today.
In remarks which have been interpreted as a swipe at the U.K. government, the German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said she would not leave German citizens “to their own devices,” as, “unlike in other countries,” Berlin’s initial evacuation included all nationals.
Pressed on those comments by Sky News Wednesday, Braverman defended the U.K. response, arguing it is “in a very different situation to other countries.”
“We’ve got a larger cohort of British nationals in Sudan compared to many other countries,” the home secretary said. “I don’t think it’s right to make this some kind of competition.”
Around 120 British troops are currently at the Wadi Saeedna airfield, located to the north of Khartoum, supporting the evacuation of both British nationals and dual nationals. The airfield is being run by the German military, but is expected to soon be handed over to British forces.
The U.K. is also considering a seaborne evacuation from Port Sudan — “a more benign environment” — in addition to taking people out of the country via the airfield, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Tuesday.
