Sudanese coup d'etat.

[teqniq]

Another perspective from a left/revolutionary position:

In Sudan, the Revolution Is Caught in the Crossfire - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung

As fighting escalates, the country’s social movements are calling for an immediate ceasefire

www.rosalux.de

the above piece touches on the Wagner group's ivolvement, and with this in mind:

How Wagner plundered Sudan's gold

A new Cold War is playing out in Africa

unherd.com

 

[teqniq]

FFS :

 

[kebabking]

Conversely...

40 Commando RM are at an airfield 30km from Khartoum, and evacuation flights of British passport holders started this morning from there. It's currently being run by the German military, but once they've finished their evacuation the UK will take over, probably with more troops from 16 Bde.

Germany has a few hundred to evacuate, UK has 4000 potentials.

In addition, RM from Littoral Response Group (South) have been in Port Sudan for several days to assess and enable a sea borne evacuation. HMS Lancaster has already been ordered to Port Sudan.

But, you know, twitter...

 

[tim]

I have very little faith that there is a cunning plan other than damage control and hand washing. If they were all white school kids from Hampshire they would be lifted out of there but in fact as British citizens of a different hue they will be left on their own. It's grotesque.

I'm not that convinced that whatever the hue, they'd they'd show you that much interest. A former colleague found himself in a civil war whilst living in Yemen in the 1990s. The British Embassy advice was: "Don't go on the roof to look at the fireworks". He was evacuated by the Germans, who sent an invoice to the British ,Government, who in turn invoiced him.

 

[teqniq]

Conversely...

40 Commando RM are at an airfield 30km from Khartoum, and evacuation flights of British passport holders started this morning from there. It's currently being run by the German military, but once they've finished their evacuation the UK will take over, probably with more troops from 16 Bde.

Germany has a few hundred to evacuate, UK has 4000 potentials.

In addition, RM from Littoral Response Group (South) have been in Port Sudan for several days to assess and enable a sea borne evacuation. HMS Lancaster has already been ordered to Port Sudan.

But, you know, twitter...

But, you know, it still appears to be a fuckup. And yes I know fuckups happen in situations like these but it's pretty grim for him and his family.

 

[tim]

But, you know, it still appears to be a fuckup. And yes I know fuckups happen in situations like these but it's pretty grim for him and his family.

Anyway, probably not as grim as for anyone who is actually Sudanese.

 

[kebabking]

But, you know, it still appears to be a fuckup. And yes I know fuckups happen in situations like these but it's pretty grim for him and his family.

The embassy is an utter fucking disaster. Both the ambassador and the Head of Mission - who are married to each other - are away from Sudan on holiday...

FCDO were a mess during the Kabul job - some of that was the Disgraced Raab, but lots was just FCDO inertia and inability to react to the world turning to shit.

Ambassadors in Cyprus, Kenya and Jordan appear to have taken over from Khartoum . With luck, two - at least - people will be looking to explore new opportunities in the private sector...

 

[teqniq]

Anyway, probably not as grim as for anyone who is actually Sudanese.

The guys is a dual national but I take your point entirely.

The embassy is an utter fucking disaster. Both the ambassador and the Head of Mission - who are married to each other - are away from Sudan on holiday...

FCDO were a mess during the Kabul job - some of that was the Disgraced Raab, but lots was just FCDO inertia and inability to react to the world turning to shit.

Ambassadors in Cyprus, Kenya and Jordan appear to have taken over from Khartoum . With luck, two - at least - people will be looking to explore new opportunities in the private sector...

That might go some way to explaining something i have been trying to deal with but i can't go into great detail about it tbh. Suffice to say I am angry and concerned in equal measure.

 

[chilango]

Conversely...

40 Commando RM are at an airfield 30km from Khartoum, and evacuation flights of British passport holders started this morning from there. It's currently being run by the German military, but once they've finished their evacuation the UK will take over, probably with more troops from 16 Bde.

Germany has a few hundred to evacuate, UK has 4000 potentials.

In addition, RM from Littoral Response Group (South) have been in Port Sudan for several days to assess and enable a sea borne evacuation. HMS Lancaster has already been ordered to Port Sudan.

But, you know, twitter...

From much of Sudan you'll have no chance getting yourself to an airfield north of Khartoum or to Port Sudan.

 

[Fuzzy]

I was listening to the early news briefing on radio 4 this morning and someone was complaining that their elderly parents stuck in Sudan had to make a 90 minute trip to the airport to be able to taken out. what is she expecting? a taxi to come and pick them up? whilst I have some sympathy due to the lack of any real plan by the government as how to how they are going to get people out I'd have thought people stuck there woukd need to do a bit to help themselves as well.

 

[teqniq]

This is pretty shit:

Former Sudanese minister Ahmed Haroun wanted on war crimes charges freed from Khartoum prison | CNN

A once powerful member of the former Sudanese government wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been freed from prison in the capital Khartoum.

edition.cnn.com

 

[teqniq]

Complete incompetence:

Sudan crisis: UK accused of delaying German evacuation efforts

German politicians tell the BBC that British actions in Sudan hampered efforts of other countries.

www.bbc.com

 

[kebabking]

Complete incompetence:

Sudan crisis: UK accused of delaying German evacuation efforts

German politicians tell the BBC that British actions in Sudan hampered efforts of other countries.

www.bbc.com

Ignoring the fact that it's not true - or at the very least ignores the fact that the Sudanese military is not an entirely homogeneous entity - I have a question for both teqniq and Tanya1982 - quite how is getting your diplomatic staff out quickly, without a shot being fired, complete incompetence..?

 

[teqniq]

Ignoring the fact that it's not true - or at the very least ignores the fact that the Sudanese military is not an entirely homogeneous entity - I have a question for both teqniq and Tanya1982 - quite how is getting your diplomatic staff out quickly, without a shot being fired, complete incompetence..?

Incompetence was the wrong word to use. However you have already alluded to the notion that the UK embassy in Khartoum is/was a shambles and now rather than help UK nationals some of whom now seem to be stuck there, it would seem that they've gone in with a 'look after ours [the staff] and fuck everyone else' attitude. This has left the Germans distinctly unimpressed:



Someone I am supporting applied for his wife to join him here (he has leave to remain) under family reunion rules. The solicitor submitted a visa application over a year ago and nothing has happened and now this. With particular regard to the embassy staff, incompetence or indifference? You choose. But with regard to the evacuation it very much seems like the attitude I have described above.

 

[kebabking]

No argument that the embassy team in Khartoum leave a great deal to be desired - however, it wasn't their decision on when and where they were to be evacuated from. That was a govt decision - one made, like the US decision, in a context of a US Embassy convoy being shot at in the Khartoum area least week.

The US mindset is informed by the death of their ambassador in Libya (2012?) - they had decided that they were lowering the bar for evacuation. The information was shared with the other embassies and governments, and some decided to follow the US lead (the UK takes the view that anyone who fancies shooting at the US embassy is likely to be happy to shoot at a British embassy - others take a different view, and there's room for everyone to be right).

There's obviously a question over the quality of the work and information produced by the Khartoum embassy - I get the impression that SIS have a different interpretation on what's been going on, and that this Embassy saying one thing, and SIS saying another, has produced a difficulty in govt deciding what to do. Seems however now that govt is following SIS - I assume that's how the airfield thing has come about...

 

[Tanya1982]

Ignoring the fact that it's not true - or at the very least ignores the fact that the Sudanese military is not an entirely homogeneous entity - I have a question for both teqniq and Tanya1982 - quite how is getting your diplomatic staff out quickly, without a shot being fired, complete incompetence..?

I haven’t said anything about the incompetence or competence of getting diplomatic staff out without a gun battle. I haven’t offered any view on that.

 

[bimble]

Is it normal that 99% of coverage in the newspapers about what's going on in Sudan seems to be about the evacuation of brits? Maybe it is normal and i've just not noticed before but don't think so. I mean you have to really scroll to get to anything else about what's going on there.

 

[LDC]

What newspapers and media? Plenty in some about the coup and other stuff that's not the evacuation. It's not surprising that features heavily atm though.

 

[dessiato]

Is it normal that 99% of coverage in the newspapers about what's going on in Sudan seems to be about the evacuation of brits? Maybe it is normal and i've just not noticed before but don't think so. I mean you have to really scroll to get to anything else about what's going on there.

I understand where you're coming from. For me, however, my main concern is for my friends stuck there hoping to get out safely. This is why I read stories about evacuation first. I'm very worried about them. I'm justing hoping for any news that gives me some real hope for them.

 

[bimble]

I’ve just found some more on what’s happening and now much more depressed. Sounds like hell on earth. How people are ready to kill for their chosen general idk, got to be much deeper than that. At least the evacuation stories have an ending.

 

[mojo pixy]

Cleverley doing the rounds today making excuses, as usual for this government. Also making it clear that Brits' Sudani relatives are not included in UK plans. No surprise obvs.

 

[Pickman's model]

Ignoring the fact that it's not true - or at the very least ignores the fact that the Sudanese military is not an entirely homogeneous entity - I have a question for both teqniq and Tanya1982 - quite how is getting your diplomatic staff out quickly, without a shot being fired, complete incompetence..?

You're right,great competence being shown in running away

 

[kebabking]

You're right,great competence being shown in running away

Do you normally hang around in housefires?

 

[Tanya1982]

Is it normal that 99% of coverage in the newspapers about what's going on in Sudan seems to be about the evacuation of brits? Maybe it is normal and i've just not noticed before but don't think so. I mean you have to really scroll to get to anything else about what's going on there.

I think so. It’s always the way. ‘Earthquake kills four thousand people. Sadly, two Britons are believed to be among the casualties’, etc.

 

[gosub]

The embassy is an utter fucking disaster. Both the ambassador and the Head of Mission - who are married to each other - are away from Sudan on holiday...

FCDO were a mess during the Kabul job - some of that was the Disgraced Raab, but lots was just FCDO inertia and inability to react to the world turning to shit.

Ambassadors in Cyprus, Kenya and Jordan appear to have taken over from Khartoum . With luck, two - at least - people will be looking to explore new opportunities in the private sector...

FCDO were a mess BEFORE Kabul, and During.

Was has the private sector done to upset you?

 

[bimble]

Sounds a bit like what happened in Somalia years ago, the suddenness of the collapse meaning no real chance of a non chaotic evacuation. Friend who got out of Mogadishu as a Brit diplomats kid still traumatised by what he saw on the short journey.

 

[Pickman's model]

Do you normally hang around in housefires?

You don't expect the firemen to be first out of the door

 

[bimble]

You don't expect the firemen to be first out of the door

This analogy is good because in a way British embassy staff are the firemen of the world.

 

[Pickman's model]

This analogy is good because in a way British embassy staff are the firemen of the world.

Are they fuck. They're bloody awful, offering a worse service to British national abroad than pretty much any other country offers theirs

 

[chilango]

My two experiences of being caught up in situations where diplomatic assistance might have been helpful. In Sudan, the British Embassy (as posted above) washed their hands of me (not that I particularly blame them) and elsewhere in Africa (for a less serious situation) the Irish who went out of their to try and help.