Key events
Overnight Alicia Kearns, the British Conservative MP who is chair of the foreign select committee in the House of Commons in London, has tweeted her relief at the extension of the ceasefire. She said:
This is a great relief, and gives some hope that a diplomatic solution may be found to prevent a resumption of violence long term.
This is a great relief, and gives some hope that a diplomatic solution may be found to prevent a resumption of violence long term. https://t.co/bU9NnjXMe2
— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) April 28, 2023
Here is a reminder, if you need it, of the evacuation route being operated by the UK. Planes are using RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as a base to head for Wadi Seidna airstrip north of Khartoum in Sudan. Evacuees are then being carried back to Larnaca international airport, where they are being put on chartered planes to London Stansted. The RAF planes then return to Akrotiri to refuel, before making the journey again.
British evacuation flights expected to continue today
Alistair Bunkall, the Sky News Middle East correspondent, has reported from Larnaca airport that British evacuation flights are expected to continue today. He told viewers:
More flights have come in overnight, and they expect more flights to come into Cyprus today. So that ceasefire extension has given them a longer window in which trying to get people out.
Yesterday, they were very much operating on the basis that if the ceasefire didn’t hold, and fighting resumed, then they had to try and scramble to get as many people onto aircraft in the few hours that they had.
Dan Sabbagh , Patrick Wintour and Alexandra Topping have our main overnight report on the latest situation in Sudan:
Britain said it had evacuated nearly 900 people from Sudan and was hoping to continue evacuation flights overnight, although violence flared as the country’s warring factions agreed to extend a ceasefire.
The foreign secretary was under pressure over a refusal to allow Britons trying to flee to take elderly parents with them, amid fears that renewed fighting between the army and paramilitaries could halt the airlift at any time.
James Cleverly told MPs on Thursday that the UK “will endeavour” to keep going with flights, but he advised Britons to try to make a risky journey to the airfield north of Khartoum from where the airlift was being conducted immediately.
A total of 897 people had been evacuated by the RAF by 6pm on Thursday, with two more flights leaving Sudan for a stopover in Cyprus during the day. The Foreign Office said “further flights” would be coming.
Read more here: UK says nearly 900 evacuated from Sudan amid hopes of further flights
Welcome and open summary …
Welcome to our continued live coverage of the crisis in Sudan, where the two warring factions have agreed to extend the fragile and partially observed ceasefire that was due to expire late on Thursday night for another 72 hours.
There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on 15 April between Sudan’s army led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary RSF commanded by his deputy-turned-rival, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti. All have ultimately failed so far.
But foreign representatives involved in seeking to quell the fighting have welcomed the extended ceasefire deal and urged full implementation.
In a joint statement, AFP reports the African Union, the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the United States applauded the two sides’ “readiness to engage in dialogue toward establishing a more durable cessation of hostilities and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access”.
Despite the ceasefire, on Thursday warplanes flew over the capital’s northern suburbs as fighters on the ground exchanged artillery and heavy machine gun fire, witnesses said. Fighting was also observed to have intensified in the Darfur region.
International efforts to evacuate foreign nationals stranded in Sudan continue.
I’m Martin Belam, and I will be bringing you rolling coverage of further developments today. You can get in touch with me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
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