Deadline passes for Brits to evacuate from war-torn Sudan

Evacuees stand on a ferry as it transports some 1,900 people across the Red Sea from Port Sudan to the Saudi King Faisal navy base in Jeddah, on April 29 (Picture: AFP)

Tens of thousands of people have fled Sudan’s ‘unending hell’ while ceasefire attempts continue to fail.

Strikes by air, tanks and artillery rocked the capital, Khartoum, and the city of Bahri on Friday.

Foreign governments continue to evacuate nationals while Sudanese take refuge across borders into Chad and Egypt, while others try to register for ferries to Saudi Arabia.

‘From the war planes to tanks and rockets, we had no other option than to leave,’ said Sudanese man Motaz Ahmed, who arrived in Cairo after a five-day trip.

People gather to ride a truck to flee outside Khartoum, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army, in Khartoum (Picture: Reuters)

Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee (Picture: Reuters)

‘We left behind our homes, our work, our belongings, our vehicles, everything, so we can take our children and parents to safety.’

The deadline for British nationals to reach the evacuation airfield has passed while the government prepares to cease flights out of the war-torn region at 6pm.

Some 1,573 people on 13 flights have been rescued from the Wadi Saeedna site near the capital but thousands more may be stranded.

Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden will chair a Cobra meeting this afternoon to discuss the security situation in Khartoum.

Brits board an RAF aircraft at Wadi Seidna Air Base in Khartoum (Picture: PA)

The RAF has airlifted nearly 900 people from the airfield (Picture: PA)

The BBC reported that all NHS doctors are now eligible to catch flights out of the country.

It comes after a U-turn by the government, which initially stated the flights were only open to passport holders and their immediate families.

Mr Dowden denied the government is ‘abandoning’ those who have been unable to make the potentially dangerous journey to the airfield with its decision to cease flights.

He told the BBC: ‘We are in touch with and engaging rapidly with the Sudanese Doctors’ Association to see what further support we can provide for them.’

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The power struggle between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on April 15 and disabled an internationally backed transition toward democratic elections.

At least 512 people have been killed and close to 4,200 wounded, according to the UN, which believes the real toll is much higher.

‘We hear the sounds of planes and explosions. We don’t know when this hell will end. We are in a constant state of fear,’ said Bahri resident Mahasin al-Awad.

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Thousands more Brits may be left stranded.