The crisis in Sudan

Smoke over Khartoum/António Guterres. TT.  

The UN chief: The fighting could set the whole region on fire 

UN chief António Guterres warns that the crisis in Sudan could spread and "set the entire region on fire", writes AFP. On Monday, he again called on the warring parties - Sudan's army and the paramilitary RSF - to lay down their arms. 

- We must all do everything we can to bring Sudan back from the brink of the abyss, said Guterres.  

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell also warns of the risk of the conflict spreading and says that the EU is working to find a political solution.  

- We cannot afford to let Sudan implode, that would send shock waves across Africa, Borrell said on Monday, according to Sky News. 

He also said that the EU's ambassador to Sudan remains in the country. UN special envoy Volker Perthes will also stay in the country until further notice.

Spain's defense minister welcomes evacuees from Sudan. Spanish Defense Ministry / AP  

Analysis: The diplomats are out – what does the outside world do now?  

When several countries have now largely evacuated their diplomatic staff from Sudan, it remains to rescue civilians. But it can be significantly more difficult, writes Sky News' Alistair Bunkall in an analysis. 

An aggravating circumstance is that the civilians are scattered over the country, in contrast to the diplomatic personnel who were gathered within a limited area and thus were easier to find and in a controlled manner bring to safety.  

"Traveling on the roads is currently very dangerous and the assessment may be that it is safer to stay where you are and hide than to try to get to an evacuation site," he writes.  

In DN, Erik Esbjörnsson wonders how the outside world's pressure and interest will change when most of the diplomats are safe. He writes that the great pressure for a truce over the weekend's Eid celebrations was mainly about creating the opportunity for evacuations. 

"The risk is imminent that the diplomatic pressure will subside after the evacuation," writes Esbjörnsson.  

Smoke rises over Khartoum. Marwan Ali / AP  

Thousands of Britons are stuck: "People are euthanizing their pets"  

British authorities have warned that aid to British citizens still stuck in Sudan will be "very limited" pending a ceasefire, writes The Independent. 4,000 Britons are believed to be in the country, according to MP Alicia Kearns. 

She says that people are living in great fear and that food and water are now running out. 

"I've even heard of people euthanizing their pets out of fear that they'll starve," Kearns says.  

Several Britons on the ground say they feel abandoned by the government.  

- It is shameful how badly they have handled this, says Iman Abugarga who is stuck in the capital Khartoum to The Telegraph. Jordanians are evacuated from Sudan. 

Jordanians are evacuated from Sudan. Monday, April 24. Raad Adayleh / AP  

Haavisto: Russian Wagner can benefit if we leave Sudan  

The EU must do more to resolve the situation in Sudan - otherwise there is a risk that the Russian Wagner group will benefit from the ongoing crisis in the country. This is what Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto says ahead of the EU's foreign ministers meeting today, Reuters reports.  

- It is not right for all foreigners to leave the country (Sudan ed. note) under these circumstances. If we leave, we also give room for Wagner and Russia to play this game, says Haavisto.  

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF paramilitary forces flared up last weekend after months of power struggles. In recent days, more than 1,000 EU citizens and diplomats have been evacuated from Sudan, including 25 Swedes.