Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden will chair another emergency Cobra meeting on Tuesday, as the government begins a large-scale evacuation of Uk nationals from Sudan.
Rishi Sunak said this morning British passport holders will be airlifted from Sudan on RAF flights, taking advantage of of a 72-hour ceasefire.
The prime minister said priority will be given to the most vulnerable, including families with children and the elderly.
Downing Street said Sunak authorised the evacuation of British nationals “late last night”.
“This is something that the prime minister and the foreign secretary and others have been working on for some time now,” the spokesperson said.
Foreign secretary James Cleverly said the situation on the ground remains “dangerous, volatile and unpredictable”.
The latest figure for UK citizens registering with the embassy for evacuation is about 2,000, but the true number of British nationals in Sudan could be higher.
More than 420 people, including at least 273 civilians, have been killed since fighting began on April 15, and a further 3,700 have been wounded.
For many Sudanese, the departure of foreigners and closure of embassies is a terrifying sign that international powers expect a worsening of the fighting that has already pushed the population into disaster.
Sudanese have desperately sought ways to escape the chaos, fearing that the rival camps will escalate their all-out battle for power once evacuations are completed.