While a 72-hour ceasefire appears to be holding, the British government has begun to evacuate British nationals from Sudan aboard military flights from an airfield outside the capital Khartoum, the United Kingdom government announced today.

“Flights will be open to those with British passports and priority will be given to family groups with children and/or the elderly or individuals with medical conditions,” according to the statement tweeted by the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. “At this stage we will contact those who are eligible for evacuation directly and British nationals should not make their way to the airfield unless called.”

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said the security situation in Khartoum is too uncertain for a U.S. military airlift of Americans and dual nationals trapped in the city, as two warring generals fight over a plan to combine their rival military factions.

“We’re going to do everything we can to help guide people, get them the information they need to get out safely, but it is not safe right now, for another evacuation attempt that would actually put Americans in more danger, not less,” said NSC spokesman John Kirby on CBS.

Instead, the Biden administration is telling Americans who want to get out of Khartoum to consider an arduous 500-mile drive overland to Port Sudan. “We just entered a period of a ceasefire, we hope it holds, but because of the violence we’ve seen in the last few days, our best advice to most Americans who are still in Sudan, despite the warnings to leave, is to shelter in place, stay somewhere safe and secure before moving about,” said Kirby on CNN last night. (Read more from “UK Begins Military Evacuation in Sudan While US Says It’s Too Dangerous” HERE)

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By UN Dispatch. Sudan is at a crossroads. In April, popular protests in Khartoum lead to the ouster of the country’s longtime ruler, Omar al Bashir. He was toppled in a coup by military leaders. But the peaceful protests did not stop. Rather, the protesters held their ground and rallied outside the headquarters of the military junta demanding that civilians — not the military — lead the transition to democracy.

The standoff between the military council and civilian protesters held firm until early June, when a paramilitary group known as the Rapid support forces, or RSF, attacked the protesters, killing over 100. The protests were dispersed and a general strike ensued. (Read more from “The Sudan Crisis Has Reached a Key Infection Point” HERE)

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Sudan Crisis: U.S. Appoints Envoy Head as Death Toll Climbs to 129

By UPI. The United States appointed the head of a new special envoy to Sudan Wednesday as opposition forces report dozens of people have been raped and over 120 people have been killed following last week’s military crackdown on protests.

The State Department said in a statement it appointed Ambassador Donald Booth to head a special envoy for Sudan to lead “U.S. efforts to support a political solution to the current crisis that reflects the will of the Sudanese people.”

Booth, who served as U.S. special envoy for Sudan during the Obama administration, was dispatched to accompany Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Tibor Nagy to meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.

Nagy was dispatched Monday by the State Department to speak with leaders of the ruling Transitional Military Council and Forces for Freedom and Change to “call for a cessation of attacks against civilians and urger parties” to return to talks.

The opposition Sudanese Professionals Association said Wednesday that its leaders met with the envoy and agreed that the power of the country should be transferred to civilian rule, welcomed Ethiopia to continue mediations between the two parties, hold the military responsible “for the massacre” and to begin an international investigation commission for fact-finding to bring the perpetrators to justice. (Read more from “Sudan Crisis: U.S. Appoints Envoy Head as Death Toll Climbs to 129” HERE)

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