The Sudan evacuation effort is not the end – it is barely the beginning

Editorial: Complex political crises rarely have straightforward solutions. They require long-term and often thankless commitment – and deep resolve

Sudan’s army and its rival paramilitary say they will extend a humanitarian ceasefire by another 72 hours as of midnight following international pressure (AP)

Less than two years ago, Britain and America did not see the Taliban’s arrival in Kabul coming, even though it was a journey of thousands of miles.

Months after evacuation efforts had abruptly ended, and with no legal routes for asylum seekers having been established, an Afghan soldier who had assisted the British army, and so had legitimate reason to fear for his own life, drowned in the Channel after boarding a small boat in an attempt to reach the UK.

In that context, it should be surprising that the situation in Sudan, just like events in Afghanistan in 2021, appears to have caught the government unawares. But nobody actually is surprised.