The deputy prime minister said that British nationals who are in Sudan must catch a flight by midday or they will be stopped.

Oliver Dowden has confirmed that the flights will end on Saturday at 7pm local. Those still in Sudan are asked to arrive to the Wadi-Saeedna site by 12pm local (11am UK) to be processed to make the final flight.

In a Friday afternoon interview with reporters, he revealed that more than 1500 people have now been evacuated from the country.

He said that there was a “significant drop in British nationals who came forward”, and the government would stop the flights.

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After the two warring parties extended the ceasefire for 72 hours, countries are racing against time to evacuate their citizens.

The three-day initial ceasefire was set to expire on Thursday at 11pm UK Time. Despite the agreement, reports continue to surface of heavy fighting in Khartoum’s capital and western Darfur.

In recent days, thousands of people have fled the country as food is scarce and electricity has been cut in many parts of the capital, including other cities. Many hospitals are also closed.

According to the health ministry of the country, at least 512 civilians as well as fighters were killed in the clashes. 4,200 other people were injured.

When asked if the cancellation of flights meant abandoning British citizens who hadn’t made it on time, Mr Dowden replied: “Each and every British national who has come forward as well as their dependents have been safely put onto a flight.”

“We’re seeing a significant decline in those numbers. We have set a deadline for this, just as other countries.

“I would like to say that we will continue to provide consular assistance in Sudan, especially at the exit routes. “We will provide consular support to both the north and south, as well as Port Sudan.”

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In response to a question about what advice he would give those who were left behind, Dowden replied: “Well, we’ve been very clear all along that this was a limited-time operation.

“We sent a clear message over 24 hours ago, that we would reduce the number of flights as the ceasefire ended.

“We now say to those people that you have another 24-hours if you’re eligible to make it to the airport, and we’ll get you on a flight, just like we did for every other eligible person who has come forward, making this the longest and most extensive evacuation effort in any Western country.”

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Mr Dowden said that the government is aware that doctors from the NHS are being refused evacuation flights.

He said: “We’re in contact and working quickly with the Sudanese Doctors Association, to see what additional support we can offer them.”

The Foreign Office, he said, will continue to provide “consular assistance at the other exits routes and particularly at Port Sudan” after the deadline of 6pm for flights.