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| Perilous journey for UK nationals and NHS medics seeking Sudan escape | Perilous journey for UK nationals and NHS medics seeking Sudan escape |
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| Official instructions given out to make way to airbase just north of capital in order to evacuate before deadline | Official instructions given out to make way to airbase just north of capital in order to evacuate before deadline |
| NHS doctors and British nationals faced a treacherous route to reach an airbase north of Khartoum before a deadline for evacuations, amid ongoing airstrikes and artillery fire in the Sudanese capital. | |
| Hundreds of people were told to find their own way to the Wadi Seidna airbase, about 14 miles north of Khartoum and its twin city Omdurman on the banks of the Nile. | Hundreds of people were told to find their own way to the Wadi Seidna airbase, about 14 miles north of Khartoum and its twin city Omdurman on the banks of the Nile. |
| Those seeking to reach an evacuation centre at the airbase were forced to navigate ongoing fighting as the Sudanese Armed Forces continued to pound positions across the two cities, while members of paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces hid out among civilian buildings. | Those seeking to reach an evacuation centre at the airbase were forced to navigate ongoing fighting as the Sudanese Armed Forces continued to pound positions across the two cities, while members of paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces hid out among civilian buildings. |
| “The army appears to be following individuals, or groups of two or three RSF soldiers. Things get dangerous as it’s impossible to tell where they’re moving to, and the air force [SAF] is following them to try and destroy them on the ground,” said Ahmed Al Mufti, a longtime human rights advocate and resident of Omdurman. | “The army appears to be following individuals, or groups of two or three RSF soldiers. Things get dangerous as it’s impossible to tell where they’re moving to, and the air force [SAF] is following them to try and destroy them on the ground,” said Ahmed Al Mufti, a longtime human rights advocate and resident of Omdurman. |
| Airstrikes and fierce street battles continued across Khartoum in breach of a nominal ongoing ceasefire due to last until Sunday night. On Friday night, an airstrike hit a religious school in Omdurman. Residents in nearby central Khartoum reported the sound of clashes between SAF and RSF forces in the centre of the capital. | Airstrikes and fierce street battles continued across Khartoum in breach of a nominal ongoing ceasefire due to last until Sunday night. On Friday night, an airstrike hit a religious school in Omdurman. Residents in nearby central Khartoum reported the sound of clashes between SAF and RSF forces in the centre of the capital. |
| A second airstrike early on Saturday morning hit a district in south Omdurman. | |
| Akram Ahmed, from Wad-Nwabwai, close to the el-Said Abdulrahman mosque where an airstrike took place, said: “There was a loud sound from an airstrike this morning, it woke people up and sent them running. Last night, a fragment from an anti-aircraft missile hit the mosque and injured two pupils. The school, a boarding school, has emptied out now.” | Akram Ahmed, from Wad-Nwabwai, close to the el-Said Abdulrahman mosque where an airstrike took place, said: “There was a loud sound from an airstrike this morning, it woke people up and sent them running. Last night, a fragment from an anti-aircraft missile hit the mosque and injured two pupils. The school, a boarding school, has emptied out now.” |
| The airstrikes and ongoing clashes left frightened residents across Omdurman and Khartoum sheltering in their homes. | The airstrikes and ongoing clashes left frightened residents across Omdurman and Khartoum sheltering in their homes. |
| Despite the volatile security situation on the ground, NHS doctors, British passport holders and residents were instructed to navigate networks of streets, boulevards, and bridges that have transformed into an urban battleground since fighting between two warring generals began two weeks ago. | Despite the volatile security situation on the ground, NHS doctors, British passport holders and residents were instructed to navigate networks of streets, boulevards, and bridges that have transformed into an urban battleground since fighting between two warring generals began two weeks ago. |
| Those hoping to board evacuation flights had until midday on Saturday local time to arrive at Wadi Seidna and register for a flight before the airlifts cease altogether – a deadline that has now passed. The BBC reported that the Department of Health and Social Care sent a message on Friday night to NHS doctors in Sudan, instructing them to make their way to the Wadi Seidna airfield, a military base with a rough airstrip that is accessible via Omdurman or north Khartoum where airstrikes have pummelled buildings and infrastructure for weeks. | |
| The British ambassador to Sudan, Giles Lever, previously told people it was “absolutely critical,” they evacuate via the airbase and urged “all British nationals to travel to the evacuation centre at Wadi Saeedna airfield as soon as possible.” | The British ambassador to Sudan, Giles Lever, previously told people it was “absolutely critical,” they evacuate via the airbase and urged “all British nationals to travel to the evacuation centre at Wadi Saeedna airfield as soon as possible.” |
| Sherine Tadros, of Amnesty International, pointed to previous FCDO instruction that British nationals travel to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, an 11-hour journey from central Khartoum. “You are now telling them to go back, 800km (500 miles), to a base near Khartoum (and near the fighting’s epicentre),” she said. A British military ship, HMS Lancaster, remains in Port Sudan. | Sherine Tadros, of Amnesty International, pointed to previous FCDO instruction that British nationals travel to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, an 11-hour journey from central Khartoum. “You are now telling them to go back, 800km (500 miles), to a base near Khartoum (and near the fighting’s epicentre),” she said. A British military ship, HMS Lancaster, remains in Port Sudan. |
| Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, said on Friday night more than 1,500 people had been flown out, and there had been a “significant decline in British nationals coming forward”, meaning it was time to end the operation. | Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, said on Friday night more than 1,500 people had been flown out, and there had been a “significant decline in British nationals coming forward”, meaning it was time to end the operation. |
| The last airlifts occurred amid a scramble to ensure that NHS doctors with leave to remain in the UK would be able to board the evacuation flights with their dependents, after pressure from a medical union. Doctors with leave to remain in the UK were told to bring their relatives and proof of NHS employment as they fled Sudan, after many travelled back to see family during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when fighting suddenly erupted. | The last airlifts occurred amid a scramble to ensure that NHS doctors with leave to remain in the UK would be able to board the evacuation flights with their dependents, after pressure from a medical union. Doctors with leave to remain in the UK were told to bring their relatives and proof of NHS employment as they fled Sudan, after many travelled back to see family during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when fighting suddenly erupted. |
| Earlier, the British Medical Association urged the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, to allow the evacuation of NHS medics who are being prevented from joining the British effort because they do not have UK passports. | Earlier, the British Medical Association urged the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, to allow the evacuation of NHS medics who are being prevented from joining the British effort because they do not have UK passports. |
| Dr Abdulrahman Babiker, a Sudanese-born registrar at Manchester Royal Infirmary, told Newsnight he had been prevented from flying back to the UK after arriving at the Wadi Seidna airbase, from where RAF evacuation flights were departing. | Dr Abdulrahman Babiker, a Sudanese-born registrar at Manchester Royal Infirmary, told Newsnight he had been prevented from flying back to the UK after arriving at the Wadi Seidna airbase, from where RAF evacuation flights were departing. |
| The doctor said he had worked in the UK throughout the Covid crisis and felt “totally betrayed,” by the ban on holders of work visas, which has continued all week despite repeated lobbying efforts from medical groups and unions. | The doctor said he had worked in the UK throughout the Covid crisis and felt “totally betrayed,” by the ban on holders of work visas, which has continued all week despite repeated lobbying efforts from medical groups and unions. |
| The BBC reported Babiker had now been evacuated and caught a flight that landed in Cyprus on Friday evening. | The BBC reported Babiker had now been evacuated and caught a flight that landed in Cyprus on Friday evening. |
| Doctors and nurses from around the world work in the NHS, including 1,253 from Sudan, according to figures collected by the House of Commons library. | Doctors and nurses from around the world work in the NHS, including 1,253 from Sudan, according to figures collected by the House of Commons library. |