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In today’s newsletter: Amid gunsmoke and airstrikes, civilians must choose whether to travel towards uncertain safety, or risk violence by staying behind. What questions face anyone trying to leave – and what might happen if they go?
Good morning. For at least some of the British nationals attempting to flee the conflict that has broken out in Sudan, this morning is a moment of profound relief: the second of three evacuation flights from an airfield north of Khartoum recently arrived in Cyprus, with a third expected soon. Citizens of Turkey, France, and other countries were also flown out. But for Sudanese people – even those whose close relatives were aboard the UK flights – the exodus may simply have served as a reminder of the dangers from which they have far more limited respite.
A ceasefire between army units loyal to Sudan’s military ruler, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former ally Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, came into effect at midnight on Tuesday, and it is supposed to last for two more days. In theory, this should provide an opportunity for civilians to flee the theatres of conflict and reach safe harbour.
US news | Joe Biden has formally announced his campaign for re-election in 2024, asking Americans for four years to “finish this job”, possibly setting up an extraordinary rematch with Donald Trump. Vice-president Kamala Harris, the highest-ranking woman and person of colour in US politics, will be Biden’s running mate again.
Monarchy | New court filings submitted by Prince Harry reveal that his brother Prince William received a previously undisclosed “very large sum of money” in 2020 to settle a phone-hacking claim against the owner of the Sun and the News of the World. The high court also heard that Queen Elizabeth II personally threatened News UK with legal proceedings over hacking, only to be undermined by the then Prince Charles.
Immigration | The UK government secretly deported more than 100 Nepali guards who risked their lives to protect British embassy staff in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized back control in 2021, days after they arrived. The decision was taken even though many had been issued with six-month visas on arrival.
Politics | The head of the civil service has attempted to block Sue Gray from working with Labour until after the next general election, the Guardian has been told. Keir Starmer’s choice for his new chief of staff caused controversy when it was unveiled as Gray had led the civil service inquiry into the Partygate scandal.
Music | Harry Belafonte, the singer, actor and civil rights activist who broke down racial barriers in the US, has died aged 96. Read a tribute by the director Steve McQueen: “He had everything, but his service was always to his people.”
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