British residents in Sudan, including NHS doctors, 'will not be evacuated by UK'
Those who have been able to escape Sudan have told ITV News of the 'nightmare' they have been forced to live through since fighting broke out in the African country despite a 72-extension to the ceasefire being agreed
British residents, including many NHS doctors who have been in the UK for years, will not be evacuated from Sudan as part of the RAF airlift, the Foreign Office has told ITV News.
Official said UK residency visa holders, which include some of the 74 NHS doctors stuck in the war-torn country, will have to make their way to the UK "via other exit points."
This means that doctors across the NHS who simply visited Sudan - who have a visa to work in the UK and have the same rights as a British national - would have to find their own way out of Sudan without government help.
A UK government spokesperson said: “The evacuation response from Khartoum is open to all British nationals and their eligible dependents who wish to leave Sudan.
“Those who have UK visas but are not the dependent of a British passport holder can still come to the UK via other exit points, such as through crossing the border with Egypt.
“We continue to keep this under close review and recognise that there will be many people facing very challenging circumstances and decisions.”
The government has been criticised and reminded of its "duty of care" to "ensure the safety of these NHS doctors."
Dr Latifa Patel, Representative Body Chair, for the British Medical Association, said: “In response to the escalating violence in Sudan, we understand that the UK government is evacuating British nationals.
"But this does not include NHS doctors in Sudan who are non-British and visa holders within the UK.
"We are calling on the government to ensure that these doctors, who are invaluable to the UK’s health service, are able to get to safety.
“The situation in Sudan is fluid and as such we do not know exact numbers, but our colleagues at the Sudanese Junior Doctors Association UK estimate that approximately 74 NHS doctors are trapped in Sudan.
"The government has a duty of care to ensure the safety of these NHS doctors who work hard to care for patients in the UK – NHS doctors who are not British passport holders must not be left behind."
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tells the Commons the UK wants to extend the ceasefire and issues a message for the Sudan generals at the centre of the fighting
By 6pm on Thursday, 897 Britons had been rescued on eight flights amid fears that fierce fighting. On Thursday evening, hours before the truce was due to end, the Sudanese Army claimed to have agreed to extend a proposed ceasefire for an additional 72-hour extension.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia, has not stopped the fighting but enabled enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee and for thousands of foreigners to be evacuated.The Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have not yet commented.
More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans but the true number of citizens there could be far higher. Those who are not able to get to the airstrip north of Khartoum or are not eligible to be evacuated by the UK, face long waits at borders.
About 14,000 refugees had crossed the border from Sudan into neighbouring Egypt. Videos on social media showed chaotic scenes with hundreds of thousands of people and buses queuing at the border.
"Please, please help the people of Sudan that are still stuck in a horrifying warzone" - Rozan on the "harrowing" situation at the Sudan/Egypt border
Those waiting to cross the border were forced to wait for days without food or water, witnesses have said.
British author and activist Rozan Ahmed is among those who have made the "devastatingly difficult" journey to Cairo.
She said about 5,000 people were waiting to cross on Wednesday night, with children and elderly people left waiting for hours in the heat, "simply to cross a border and flee a war". She said there were no humanitarian agencies or assistance.
She told ITV News the ordeal was so "harrowing" she considered turning back.
"We'd been on the road for two days. We'd bravely and successfully avoided death and we deserve to have some kind of support when we reach the border," she said.
"There should be some kind of humanitarian assistance by way of food provisions, water, smooth entry. I just don't understand why it was so hard. I'm a young woman and I'm healthy, but there were so many people there who don't have optimum health, they need medication, they need to be in a cool area.
"They need water, they need to lie down, especially if they're waiting for whatever processes are required. Basic means of comfort were not just there. There were no toilets. There was nothing. It just boggles my mind that the response up until now, we are now almost two weeks into this war has been so minimal. And my ultimate question is 'why'?"
Thousands of British nationals in Sudan have already been warned the UK “cannot guarantee” more evacuation flights once the ceasefire expires on Thursday night.
Khalid Abuali, a British passport holder, was visiting his elderly parents when the conflict broke out. Despite the fighting coming to their doorstep, with soldiers using their house as a shield, he will not return to the UK without his parents, who are not British nationals and are in ill health.
Mr Abuali said the situation was "really scary" but he has no option but to stay put as the UK government will only allow dependents with visa clearance. He urged Westminster to allow people like his elderly parents to come to the UK until it is safe for them to return to Sudan.
Military chiefs said at least 500 people a day can be rescued from the Wadi Saeedna airstrip, near the capital Khartoum.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tells ITV News the government is 'developing safe and legal routes' but that it would be 'wrong' to make exceptions for Sudanese fleeing the war
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has urged UK passport holders wanting to leave Sudan to make their way to the airbase “as soon as possible”.
Mr Cleverly said: "The UK calls for its full implementation by the generals.
"British evacuation flights are ongoing.
"I urge all British nationals wishing to leave to proceed to the airport as quickly as possible to ensure their safety."
Britain had been urging the rival generals to extend the ceasefire, which should help stave off a feared humanitarian crisis in Africa's third largest country.
Help and advice
If you are in Sudan you can contact the FCDO 24/7 helpline at +44 1908 516 666
Select option 2 for consular services for British nationals.
If you’re in the UK and worried about a British person in Sudan you can call 020 7008 5000.
FCDO advises against travel to Sudan for security reasons. More information can be found on the government website.
If you have not registered your presence in Sudan, you can register here.
You should also check the travel advice for Sudan for the latest guidance.
The military has set up a temporary presence at Port Sudan and UK officials are at the border in neighbouring countries, in an attempt to create alternative evacuation routes, the foreign secretary told the Commons.
But with UK nationals being told to make their own way to evacuation sites, that trip would be made particularly challenging by fuel shortages and the traffic of people fleeing.
Currently, there are no plans to create a specific resettlement scheme for anyone fleeing Sudan, but this is being “kept under review,” Downing Street said.
The foreign secretary told ITV News: “There are conflicts going on all over the world and I think focusing purely on Sudanese nationals because that happens to be in the news and happens to be at the forefront of your mind I think minimises the plight of other people around the world in conflict zones.
"Every country has to make sure it manages its borders fairly. "
At least 512 people, including civilians and combatants, have been killed in Sudan since April 15, with another 4,200 wounded, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.
The Doctors’ Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, has recorded at least 295 civilians killed and 1,790 wounded.
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