Suella Braverman says refugees evacuated from Sudan will face deportation – live

Sunak continues to reject questions about the Sudanese refugees.

The leader of SNP Westminster has asked the prime minister to describe a “safe and legal route” available to a refugee boy seeking to flee Sudan to reach the UK.

Stephen Flynn told the House of Commons: “May I ask the Prime Minister to describe the safe and legal route available to a refugee child seeking to flee Sudan and come to the UK?”

Rishi Sunak responded: “As described above, our priority in Sudan, first and foremost, was to evacuate our diplomats and their families, which I am very pleased about because we were one of the first countries to be able to do this.

“Since yesterday, we have been conducting a large-scale evacuation of British citizens.

“We have some of the largest numbers of British citizens on the ground and rightly, and I am sure the whole House will agree with me, it is reasonable, legal and fair to give priority to the most vulnerable families, particularly those with old people. in them, medical conditions, but also children.

“That is what we are in the process of doing and I pay tribute to all those who are making it possible.”

Rishi Sunak has defended the UK’s immigration system after the SNP Commons leader called for more “humanity” in the small boat debate.

Stephen Flynn was questioning the prime minister about whether a child refugee fleeing Sudan for the UK could claim asylum under government rules.

Flynn attacked the Conservative and Labor parties, as he accused Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer of “racism”.[ing] to the bottom.”

He asked the prime minister to confirm to the House of Commons “that it would be your government’s intention to detain and deport a child refugee fleeing Sudan to the UK.”

Sunak avoided the question, instead pointing to the government’s work to evacuate British diplomats and citizens from Sudan.

Speaking on Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to the staff involved in the Sudan evacuation effort, adding: “The government must do everything in its power to urgently evacuate UK citizens who are still trapped in Sudan”.

Sudan will experience a “humanitarian catastrophe”, the Africa minister has said.

Andrew Mitchell told the Foreign Affairs Committee that the position in terms of food and the lack of aid workers will lead to such a crisis.

He said most aid workers are leaving and will not be able to return until there is a ceasefire. “This is not an ideological battle, it is a battle between two generals for power.” And he added: “Five of them have already been killed.”

Mitchell denied that the government should have seen the conflict in Sudan coming.

“This is not an ideological battle, it is a battle between two generals for power,” he said. “There is no ideology involved in this, it is the pure power that is fought for.

“One might have hoped this would never happen given the terrible humanitarian danger it has put so many people in.”

Rishi Sunak vowed to continue working to “stop the bloodshed” in Sudan as the UK races against time to get British citizens to safety.

Addressing the House of Commons, the Prime Minister said: “The UK will continue to work to end the bloodshed in Sudan and support democratic government.

“We have begun a full-scale evacuation of British citizens and I pay tribute to all who carried out this complex operation.”

Families watched as fighter jets roared overhead and bombs dropped just miles from them as they were forced into hiding, report Bel Trew and Tara Cobham.

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A Massachusetts mother and her 18-month-old daughter safely crossed the border out of Sudan after spending a terrifying week stranded in the war-torn country.

Trillian Clifford, a teacher at the American International School in Khartoum, and her daughter Alma were among thousands of US citizens trapped in Sudan as a violent civil war rages between the North African country’s two most powerful generals. Her family in Massachusetts announced Tuesday that Ms. Clifford, her daughter and all of the American teachers employed by the school were able to leave Sudan safely.

Their whereabouts will not be shared for security reasons, but it will be several days before Clifford and baby Alma reach US soil. The escape was organized by Ms. Clifford’s school and was also made possible with the help of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Maura Healey, Ms. Clifford’s family said.

“While we are relieved that Trillian is finally making progress on her journey home, we want to acknowledge that there are millions of people still suffering from this conflict in Sudan and many foreign nationals still trying to evacuate,” Clifford’s sister-in-law said. she said the independent in a sentence. “We extend our deepest concern for the innocent citizens of Sudan, including the young students of Trillian.”

Ms Winter said she had been contacted by Ms Clifford on Tuesday and wanted to thank the public for all the support she has received.

The first flight of evacuees from Sudan is on its way back to Britain as the military races against time to get people to safety during a fragile ceasefire.

RAF flights from near the capital Khartoum continued throughout Wednesday after hundreds of UK citizens were brought to safety in Cyprus.

A chartered plane was carrying a first group back to London. Stansted left Larnaca in the morning, with officials working to rescue more than 2,000 registered Sudanese citizens.

A US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan appears to be partially holding, but there are no signs the warring parties are ready for serious negotiations, the UN special envoy to Sudan said yesterday.

This suggested “that both think it is possible to secure a military victory over the other,” envoy Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council. “This is a miscalculation.”

On 15 April fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Both sides agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting Tuesday after negotiations mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

“Seems to be holding up in parts so far. However, we are also hearing continuous reports of fighting and troop movements,” said Perthes, who spoke by video from Port Sudan.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the violence and chaos in Sudan as “heartbreaking”.

The power struggle endangers Sudan’s future and could cause suffering for years and set back development for decades, Guterres said.

The United Nations has transferred hundreds of employees and family members to Port Sudan from Khartoum.

The United Nations plans to establish a hub in Port Sudan to continue working in the country where, even before the violence broke out, almost 16 million people – a third of the population – needed humanitarian aid.

Sudanese living in the capital Khartoum and the neighboring city of Omdurman reported sporadic clashes on Wednesday morning between the army and a rival paramilitary force, but said the intensity of the fighting had subsided on the second day of the a three-day truce.

Many residents of the capital left their homes to search for food and water, lining up at bakeries or grocery stores, witnesses said. Some inspected shops or houses that had been destroyed or looted during the fighting.

Others joined the tens of thousands who have been pouring out of the city in recent days. “There is a sense of calm in my area and in my neighborhoods,” said Mahasen Ali, a tea vendor who lives in a southern Khartoum neighborhood.

“But everyone is afraid of what’s next.”