Suella Braverman lashes back at German swipe over Sudan evacuation

Suella Braverman today lashed out at German strikes that British citizens in Sudan have been ‘left to fend for themselves’.

The Home Secretary dismissed the joke, saying the UK was in a “very different situation” to other countries.

Hundreds of Britons have been evacuated from Sudan as the army races against time to get people to safety before a ceasefire ends.

Flights started landing in Cyprus overnight, with more to come today. But the British government has been criticized for not intervening sooner, evacuating diplomats while initially telling citizens to make their own plans.

In sharp remarks, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she would not “leave the citizens to fend for themselves.”

She said that “unlike other countries” the Berlin evacuation included all nationals rather than just embassy staff.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (left) said she would not “leave civilians to fend for themselves”. Suella Braverman (right) said the UK was in a ‘very different situation’

British nationals wait to disembark an A400M transport plane at Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus on Tuesday

Rishi Sunak has said it is “correct” that diplomats were given priority “because they were targeted.”

Ms Braverman said she “refuted” the suggestion. ‘We are in a very different situation than in other countries. We have a larger cohort of British nationals in Sudan than in other countries.’

She added: “We are now embarking on a comprehensive operation, working with more than 1,000 RAF and armed forces personnel.”

With British nationals, dual nationals and their dependents forced to make their own way to the Wadi Saeedna airstrip where the evacuation flights depart.

British forces are expected to take control of the running of Wadi Saeedna from German forces, something that could require a greater British military presence on the ground.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 120 British troops have already supported the operation there.

The British Army could be ready to use force if necessary to protect the air base in case it is attacked during the airlift, although the troops are primarily there to help with logistics and air traffic control.

The government is also considering other options, including a possible sea evacuation from Port Sudan, some 500 miles from the capital.

HMS Lancaster and the RFA Cardigan Bay have been sent to the region.

The mission was launched during a ceasefire between the warring factions. But Secretary of State James Cleverly warned that the extraction of British nationals is “inherently dangerous” because “we are not sure how long it will take.”

A British-born student trying to flee Sudan said she didn’t have enough petrol to make the perilous hour-long drive from the outskirts of Khartoum to the airstrip.

Some 1,400 British soldiers are involved in the ‘large-scale’ evacuation of British nationals from Sudan. Pictured: British soldiers at Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus prepare to board a plane to evacuate British citizens from Sudan

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits the Crisis Center at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on Tuesday to speak with staff working on the current situation in Sudan

‘I’m trying to get there. But the problem is that the vehicles we have have no gas and the gas stations are empty,” Samar Eltayeb, 20, from Birmingham, told the PA news agency.

“There will be constant flights for the next few days, but if I can’t find gas to get there, I’m stuck.”

More than 2,000 UK citizens have registered with the FCDO in Sudan.

Families with children or elderly relatives, or persons with medical conditions, are given priority on flights.

Only UK passport holders and close relatives with existing UK entry permits will be told they are eligible.

Nationals have been warned that all travel within Sudan is ‘at your own risk’.