A French special forces soldier is “gravely” ill after being shot helping French government officials to escape from Khartoum, a minister told Parliament on Monday.
Britain’s Africa minister Andrew Mitchell told the Commons of the French casualty as he highlighted the dangers of trying to rescue people from wartorn Khartoum.
He said: “When the French were seeking to evacuate their diplomats and some people from the wider French government platform, they were shot at as they came out through the embassy gateway.
“I understand that one of their special forces is gravely ill.”
Britain has evacuated its diplomats as the UK embassy and residence were caught between the two warring factions in Sudan.
Mr Mitchell said the operation was carried out, involving 1,200 military personnel, as the diplomats were judged to be in “extreme jeopardy”.
Ministers are now facing growing pressure to launch rescue operations to get thousands of British citizens out of the country as fears grow that the violence could spiral rapidly.
During a Turkish rescue operation, two out of three muster points to join it were reported to have come under fire.
Two thousand British citizens are believed to have registered with the Foreign Office as part of the plans for an evacuation operation.
The number of UK nationals in Sudan, some with dual citizenship, is believed to be possibly as high as 4,000.
Shadow Africa minister Lyn Brown told the Commons that some British nationals had managed to get out on a French evacuation flight.
She paid tribute to the “bravery and professionalism” of the UK armed forces involved in the operation to evacuate British diplomats and their families from Sudan.
She said Labour is concerned for the “several thousand British nationals still trapped in Sudan”, adding: “Many will be frightened and desperate to leave, but uncertain of their next move or of the assistance that this Government will be able to offer them.
“What they need to hear is a clear plan on how the Government will support those still in danger and how they will communicate with them and when.”
Two British warships may be heading towards Sudan to be able to take part in a rescue mission if one is launched, and some evacuation flights are leaving a small airfield near Khartoum as the international airport is out of action for such plane movements.
Mr Mitchell said the safety of British nationals in Sudan is the “utmost priority” of the Government, with the current travel advice for Britons in Sudan to stay in place given the fighting around the capital and situation in other areas.
“We continue to advise all British nationals in Sudan to stay indoors wherever possible,” says the Foreign Office’s travel advice.
“We recognise circumstances will vary in different locations. You should exercise your own judgement about your circumstances, including whether to relocate at your own risk.”
Giving an update on the situation in the north-east African country, Mr Mitchell told the Commons: “Movement around the capital (Khartoum) remains extremely dangerous and no evacuation option comes without grave risk to life.
“Khartoum airport is out of action. Energy supplies are disrupted. Food and water are becoming increasingly scarce. Internet and telephone networks are becoming difficult to access.
“We continue to advise all British nationals in Sudan to stay indoors wherever possible.
“We recognise circumstances will vary in different locations across Sudan, so we are now asking British nationals to exercise their own judgment about their circumstances, including whether to relocate, but they do so at their own risk.”
More than 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed and over 3,700 wounded in fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces as two generals fight for power.
Mr Mitchell emphasised that a ceasefire was the best way to guarantee the safety of British nationals in Sudan.
“Ending the violence is the single most important action we can take to guarantee the safety of British nationals and everyone in Sudan,” he explained.
“The Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak), the Foreign Secretary (James Cleverly), the Secretary of State for Defence (Ben Wallace) and I have been in continuous contact with allies and with key regional partners since the outbreak of violence to agree a joint approach to both evacuation and de-escalation of violence.”
