Filenews 24 April 2023
British diplomats evacuated from the Sudanese capital Khartoum overnight were transferred to the Akrotiri base in Cyprus, according to a report by Sky News.
The effort to clarify the role of Akrotiri in the British operation began when Defence Secretary Ben Wallace thanked, among other partners, Cyprus for its contribution to the rescue of the diplomats.
Sky News and the Sun newspaper were the first outlets to report that part of the operation was carried out from the British base in Cyprus. As it has emerged, two A400 Atlas and C-130 Hercules transport planes departed from the base, with additional British troops on board, bound for an airport about 30 kilometres outside Khartoum.
The diplomats and their relatives had gathered there, led by elite members of the British special forces who had arrived in the city earlier in the night on a U.S. military plane, benefiting from a parallel U.S. evacuation operation.
According to Sky News, the diplomats and their families, a total of about 30 people including children, will spend the night in hotels in Cyprus, although it is not known whether they will stay on the island, return to the UK or be transferred to a third country.
CNA
