Tens of thousands of people are fleeing Sudan amid a tenuous ceasefire that has bought a lull to the fighting that broke out earlier this month. Many are making extremely dangerous journeys to do so – here’s how it’s happening.
By air
Many foreign nationals have been repatriated to their home countries by air, with countries including Germany already having wrapped up their evacuations by Tuesday evening.
Among those still getting out are hundreds of UK nationals getting on Royal Air Force evacuation flights going back and forth between Cyprus and an air base near the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
The government has had to cope with a “larger cohort of British nationals in Sudan compared to many other countries”, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said.
By sea
Countries including India, France, and Saudi Arabia have sent naval ships to the coastal city of Port Sudan, from where people are being evacuated across the Red Sea to the Saudi city of Jeddah
The Saudi foreign ministry said that a ship carrying 1,687 civilians from more than 50 countries arrived in Jeddah earlier today, the kingdom’s largest evacuation effort so far.
For many, reaching the port has meant journeys of hundreds of miles by bus through arid desert. They’ve had to navigate army checkpoints and avoid fighters from the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary force on one side of this violent conflict.
By land
Huge numbers of Sudanese nationals – and foreign citizens too – have also been trying to reach safety in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan via overland routes.
The UN has warned that a quarter of a million Sudanese could be on the move but others have chosen to remain in capital Khartoum despite reports of ongoing skirmishes amid the ceasefire.
Some we’ve spoken to say they can hear fighting near their homes but that they feel safer staying indoors because of the robbing, looting, and violence happening on the city’s streets. Others have said they are desperate to leave but can’t afford the cost of tickets.