Oxford mother fears husband will be killed as he tries to get out of war-torn Sudan
Niam Ali describes the heartbreaking moment of being turned away at the airport with her husband Mohammed and two-year old son
A mother from Oxford who is stuck in war-torn Sudan fears her husband will be killed if he's left behind.
Niam Ali and her two-year old son are British citizens but her husband holds a Sudanese passport and is without a visa.
As a result Mohammed has been unable to board an evacuation flight to the UK, with the final one leaving on Wednesday.
Despite a dangerous seven hour journey from their home in Khartoum to the airport the family was turned away after a 24-hour wait.
Niam said, "My son throughout it all had not seen me cry or break down. Even when we hear bangs and things outside I try to remain straight or even make it as a joke so he doesn't see it.
"At that point he was there wiping my tears and kissing me and even that was hard for me to see him go through.
"I tried my best to shield him from it all to then be let down at what I thought would be our refuge to be honest."
Back in the UK, Niam's mother Amani Mohamed says she feared the worst,
"I thought I lost my daughter and her family because I know the journey was really horrible. But I had to be strong as well and I said to her, whatever you decide I'm happy. You took the right decision and I'm proud of you."
Nazar Yousif is part of the Oxford Sudanese Society and has been working round the clock to help bring families, like Niam's, to safety.
"My message is to follow the American and the Canadians because they establish already centres for visa process. The USA sent a warship to evacuate the cities in Saudi Arabia.
"If the British can send a ship to port Sudan that would be really helpful because there's less risk and as well the quantity and they can as well take in some medical supply."
A total of 2,450 people have been evacuated from Sudan on 30 UK flights, according to the Government.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:
“The UK has co-ordinated the longest and largest evacuation of any Western country and brought 2,450 people to safety from Sudan.“We remain focused on supporting those who are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and continue to press for a long-term ceasefire.”
Niam is now unsure of what will happen next, "It's hard to be hopeful because we were turned down at our lowest point.
"It's hard to anticipate or even expect hope. We're just at a point we don't know where we are. I don't know what to find comfort in."