Royal Navy, Army, and RAF handed international evacuation operations back to Sudanese authorities after leaving the airfield in good order
The UK military’s evacuation Joint Task Force has handed over the coordination of evacuation operations at Wadi Seidna airfield to Sudanese authorities, after more than 20 evacuation flights.
The airfield, located to the north of Khartoum, had been the UK’s primary location for evacuating UK nationals and their dependents, with further flights continuing on Monday from Port Sudan.
While the final UK flight from Wadi Seidna departed on Saturday, members of the three services of the UK Armed Forces remained on site into Sunday to ensure the airfield was left in good order.
Members of the Royal Engineers carried out urgent repairs to the runway between flights, due to deterioration of the runway surface as a result of the volume of international flights, handing it back to Sudan’s senior representative in a better condition than when the UK took over the coordination of evacuations at the airfield.
Before departing the facility for the final time, the UK’s Joint Task Force Commander held a call with his Sudanese counterpart to thank him for their close working relationship, which allowed his team to safely conduct the operation to evacuate more than 2,000 people.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
Significant background work was required to ensure that people fleeing the current conflict could be managed with dignity, compassion and as much comfort as was possible in such an austere and challenging environment.
Speaking after his return to the UK’s Forward Mounting Base in Cyprus, the UK ground commander at Wadi Seidna, Lt Col Oliver Denning RM, said:
As well as ensuring the evacuees were protected and had access to food, water and shelter, UK civilian and military personnel at the evacuation facility also distributed children’s toys, comforts and sanitary products.
The airfield underwent the first operational runway repair conducted by British forces since the Falklands conflict in 1982, and the mobile medical facility provided care to 130 people, including life-saving surgical interventions.
Major Mark Borley, Commanding Officer of 51 Parachute Squadron RE, said:
HMS Lancaster remains docked in Port Sudan, where her crew continue to provide support to evacuees and officials.