Operation Phillis was the British service-assisted evacuation operation for British citizens in

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

in November 2004. It was put into effect on 11 November of that year in response to the

Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire The First Ivorian Civil War was a civil conflict in the Ivory Coast (also known as Côte d'Ivoire) that began with a military rebellion on 19 September 2002 and ended with a peace agreement on 4 March 2007. The conflict pitted the government of ...

. A company of the

Royal Gurkha Rifles The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the Unite ...

was initially deployed to neighbouring

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

transport aircraft were put on standby and HMS ''Albion'' was also directed towards the area to assist. Later troops of the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment were placed on standby to move to the area if reinforcements were needed. On 12 November the evacuation began to proceed as two RAF

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted th ...

and a

C17 Globemaster The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of tw ...

aircraft flew evacuees to Ghana, with 120 Ghurkas escorting the evacuees from Abidjan to the airport and then forming a perimeter as the aircraft took off. 50 hours after it began the operation was complete, with 300 people evacuated including the British ambassador David Coates, and his staff. No British military or civilian casualties occurred during the operation.

References

Phillis Phillis is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Dennis Phillis (born 1948), Australian rules footballer * Jodi Phillis (born 1965), Australian guitarist * Rob Phillis (born 1956), Australian retired motorcycle ...

2004 in Ivory Coast {{UK-mil-stub