London: On Friday, the UK was completing preparations for the evacuation of hundreds of its citizens from Sudan.

Following the outbreak of hostilities between two rival Sudanese commanders, British officials were organising an emergency operation to rescue several hundred people trapped in the country in north Africa.

At least 300 people have died in fighting that started on Saturday between Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan's Sudanese Armed Forces and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

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However, after EU diplomat Wim Fransen was shot and hurt during clashes in the nation's capital Khartoum, efforts to hasten the rescue of foreign nationals have increased. The situation on the ground is reportedly still dangerous and complicated.

Japan has announced that it will send troops to Sudan to ensure the safety of its citizens; the UK Ministry of Defence was also rumoured to be considering a similar action.

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Such a mission, which would be carried out in coordination between the UK and other allies, could also be made easier by the presence of US and French military bases in the neighbourhood of Djibouti.

However, any extraction operations would be challenging given the ongoing hostilities in the area of Khartoum International Airport.

It is known that nine British Council employees are trapped in their Khartoum office, where they have been for five days.

The fighting is all around us, one of the workers, Mohamad Berer, told The Guardian: "We are terrified. Although we have been patient, we must admit that we are beginning to worry.

Officials at the UK Embassy in Khartoum have advised British nationals living in Sudan to seek shelter if at all possible.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the UK's office issued the following statement to The Times: "We continue to be very concerned about the escalating violence in Sudan. The Sudanese leadership is being urged by the UK and our allies to control their troops and defuse the situation in order to stop more bloodshed.

"To assist in resolving this crisis and ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel and British citizens, we are in contact with international partners and the UK Embassy in Khartoum."