Why does our State Department never learn? Our diplomats pride themselves on being the best of Britons, but recent years have shed a merciless light on the Foreign Office’s shortcomings. Whitehall seemingly refuses to acknowledge or heed his mistakes.
Less than two years ago, it mishandled the evacuation of Kabul. As a result, tens of thousands of Afghans who had aided British forces – along with their vulnerable families – were left at the tender mercy of the Taliban.
Emails from desperate British citizens and Afghan aides went unanswered. Whitehall’s work-from-home culture prevented officials from accessing vital documents on British citizens trying to flee the murderous regime.
A minister at the time said the government had ‘lost a week’ in the rescue mission because of the ‘culture of absenteeism’ in Whitehall.
In addition, the evacuation took place during the August bank holiday, when the Secretary of State and his key officials were on vacation. But worst of all, it’s happening again, this time in Sudan.
Smoke can be seen in Khartoum, Sudan, on Saturday. Fighting in the capital between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces resumed after an internationally brokered ceasefire failed
Afghan Muslims gather to perform the Eid al-Fitr prayer at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan
Over Easter this year, the country’s conflict spiraled out of control as two warring generals battled for power in what seems increasingly likely to turn into all-out civil war. For the 4,000 British trapped there in fear for their lives, with street fighting outside their windows and hundreds killed, this is nothing short of catastrophic.
Sudan is a huge and in many areas lawless country – more than seven times the size of the UK. No one should underestimate how complicated a rescue mission can be when it gets out of hand.
Yet there is no escaping the fact that we have disappointed those who are now abandoned in the country, just as we did in Afghanistan. Whitehall has been caught out again, attempts to communicate with those in need of rescue were as woeful as in Afghanistan – and, to top it off, when things started to get really hot over the Easter holiday weekend, our ambassador was not in Khartoum on holiday in Britain (he is still there).
The truth is that in recent years Sudan has slipped from one increasingly desperate crisis to another. And yet our government’s professional advisers seem to have failed to plan for the inevitable need to help its overseas citizens.
The government has succeeded in evacuating our diplomatic personnel from Khartoum and informs us that they will coordinate rescue efforts from outside Sudan. But how can a diplomatic service function anywhere other than in the country where it is engaged in diplomacy?
It recalls the cynical claim made by the captain of the capsized Costa Concordia ferry off the coast of Italy in 2012 – that he left the ship for the passengers so he could arrange their rescue from dry land.
This brutal civil war did not come out of the blue. Sudan is one of Africa’s most unstable countries, but also one of the most strategically sensitive.
The coast of Sudan runs along the Red Sea, the shipping route to the Suez Canal. Any blockage of this vital waterway would risk a global economic crisis. Meanwhile, gold, minerals and oil lurk beneath the Sudanese sands. The country also shares a border with sub-Saharan states where Islamist terrorists pose a serious and persistent threat.
The fighting between forces loyal to two top generals has brought the country to collapse and could have repercussions far beyond its borders. Pictured: A battle-damaged street in Khartoum, Sudan
An aerial view of black smoke rising over Khartoum International Airport on April 20 amid ongoing fighting between the forces of two rival generals
Sudanese army soldiers loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan sit atop a tank in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on April 20
It is therefore not surprising that important foreign players have been involved in Sudan for months.
America, Russia and China have competed for influence over the vast country and have struggled for access to its hidden wealth, constantly increasing instability.
Vladimir Putin’s sinister mercenary Wagner Group operates in Sudan, providing lucrative ‘protection’ to the gold mines there. Meanwhile, China is quietly building oil pipeline infrastructure.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his chief troubleshooter, Victoria Nuland, have been in touch with leading Sudanese power brokers, and the US Air Force has moved its planes and special forces to nearby Djibouti in anticipation of a predicted evacuation.
The Americans have allowed other European countries, including Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands, to use that base to help their own citizens. France alone has saved nearly 400 people, Germany more than 300. (A British businessman has said that France “saved his life” after flying out of the country on a military plane.)
The most famous episode in our common history – to date – was the failure of William Gladstone’s government to rescue the anti-slavery activist, General Gordon, from Khartoum in 1885. Gladstone removed from office at the general election later that year.
Sudan is a former British colony and our shared history goes back over 150 years. Consequently, Britain has more expatriates in Sudan than most other Western countries. Unfortunately, this latest episode suggests that the State Department has completely forgotten about these historic ties.
