The British government has evacuated diplomats and their families from Sudan, in a swift operation that saw staff and their families flown out of the country on Sunday.

It comes after a military power struggle erupted in the country last week between two opposing forces, causing deadly shooting and shelling in capital city Khartoum. Hundreds of people have been killed, including five aid workers.

Thousands of British citizens remain in Sudan, with many saying they feel abandoned by the UK government following the evacuation. Other countries including France and Germany have begun evacuating their nationals. The government says it is still in touch with stuck Britons and is "looking at every single possible option" for extracting them.

In a fraught and rapidly changing environment, how does a government bring its diplomats to safety, especially if they are being targeted?

BBC News asked Philip Ingram, who served in the British army for more than 26 years and has worked as a military planner and intelligence officer.

I read that Britain is now evacuating about 4,000 British citizens from Sudan.  I'm amazed that some many Brits are actually in Sudan, which AFAIK was never in the British Commonwealth.  Is there some special reason why so many Brits live there?

6 hours ago, simon43 said:

I read that Britain is now evacuating about 4,000 British citizens from Sudan.  I'm amazed that some many Brits are actually in Sudan, which AFAIK was never in the British Commonwealth.  Is there some special reason why so many Brits live there?

I am not sure about Brits, but there are about 16,000 American citizens in Sudan.  Most of them are dual citizens.  If Britain has admitted a significant number of Sudanese at some point, they might be people who are dual UK-Sudan citizens.  

13 hours ago, simon43 said:

I read that Britain is now evacuating about 4,000 British citizens from Sudan.  I'm amazed that some many Brits are actually in Sudan, which AFAIK was never in the British Commonwealth.  Is there some special reason why so many Brits live there?

Never in the Commonwealth but previously effectively a British colony. Maybe that (partly) explains the relatively large number of Brits?