UK foreign secretary James Cleverly has cut short his visit to Wellington today to return to London and deal with the spiralling conflict in Sudan.
More than 300 people have died since fighting broke out in the African nation last weekend between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
More than 300 people have died since fighting broke out in the African nation last weekend. (Source: 1News)
"It's with real regret that due to the ongoing situation in Sudan, I've had to cut the visit short," Cleverly said in a statement by the British Foreign Office.
"I’ve spoken to Foreign Minister Mahuta and told her how disappointed I am to have had to leave early and we’ve agreed we’ll reschedule as soon as we can," he said. “I’m very much looking forward to coming back soon.”
Cleverly had originally been scheduled to briefly visit New Zealand from Friday to Saturday. He had arrived in Wellington on Thursday, a day ahead of schedule, as part of a Pacific nations tour, having already skipped a planned stop in Samoa.
He was now returning to oversee Britain's response to "the violence" in Sudan, "including support to our staff on the ground and consular services for British nationals".
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