Sudan evacuation: 'The kids were clinging to me, but I had to leave'

A British pistillate fleeing conflict-hit Sudan has spoken of her nieces and nephews "crying" and "clinging" to her arsenic she was evacuated from the country.

Wafaa Salim spoke to the BBC astatine Larnaca Airport successful Cyprus, wherever British evacuation flights are arriving from Sudan earlier onward journeys to the UK.

She was not allowed to bring the children with her owed to rules connected who the UK is evacuating.

"I had to springiness them backmost to their dad. It was truthful horrible," she said.

"They are susceptible contiguous household members and they should person been allowed onto the aeroplane.

"They were telling maine due to the fact that numbers are limited, lone British citizens who clasp passports are allowed. And I was begging him, this is contiguous family."

Downing Street has said eligibility requirements had been acceptable retired "very clearly" and had not changed, but determination was "an constituent of discretion" for those moving connected the crushed successful Sudan.

The Foreign Office said 8 flights had airlifted 897 radical from the eastbound African state to Cyprus connected Thursday.

However, this is simply a fraction of the thousands of British nationals thought to beryllium successful Sudan.

Ms Salim, a planner with Amersham Town Council successful Buckinghamshire, arrived astatine the airfield northbound of the superior Khartoum, wherever she said radical were being assisted by the Red Cross and the Sudanese army.

She had been successful Sudan with her 12-year-old lad Hasan, visiting household for Eid during the Easter break.

They had been owed to instrumentality to the UK a week ago, but this was delayed aft warring broke out.

She had been capable to walk immoderate checkpoints and marque it to the airdrome with her lad and her brother, on with his 5 children who are aged betwixt 3 and 10.

It was aft speaking to a British authoritative her member and his children "were rejected".

"In the regulations oregon the guidance, they said British citizens and contiguous family," she said.

"Those are susceptible kids, let them to travel with me. My member tin stay, but let the kids to come. They refused that."

She said her member and his household present program to effort and flight done Egypt, adding the travel would person been easier if helium did not person to bring his children.

Currently, British passport holders and contiguous household members with existing UK introduction clearance are being told they are eligible for evacuation.

Speaking earlier, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Sudanese nationals without question documents were being blocked astatine checkpoints by the Sudanese army.

"Where we person families wherever a British nationalist has a Sudanese nationalist arsenic a spouse oregon extended family, it makes the extraction much complicated," helium said.

"We person fixed proposal arsenic to the presumption oregon the prioritisation of the radical that we are capable to withdraw. We person said it's British nationals and Sudanese with question documents."

He has advised British citizens that it is unclear what would hap erstwhile a ceasefire betwixt the warring sides ends connected Thursday astatine midnight section clip (22:00 GMT).

The 72-hour truce, agreed by Sudan's service and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has been successful spot since Tuesday.

Downing Street said the British ambassador was continuing to talk to the warring parties to lobby for an hold to the ceasefire.

Speaking successful the House of Commons, shadiness overseas caput David Lammy called connected the authorities to let the Sudanese families of British nationals to beryllium allowed to besides permission the country.

"It is not close that British nationals are incapable to permission due to the fact that their adjacent Sudanese household members are being excluded from harmless passage, particularly arsenic we cognize that planes person near the airfield without being full," helium said.

Alicia Kearns, the Tory chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, has called for aged radical babelike connected children who are British citizens to besides beryllium accepted.

Accompanying Ms Salim astatine the airdrome was her 12-year-old lad Hasan, who had struggled to slumber during the past week with the dependable of bombs and shooting.

He said it was "really disappointing" to permission his cousins behind, and helium was expecting to "get location and spot them happy, astatine our house".

BBC News was aboriginal told Ms Salim had been taken to infirmary aft becoming unwell during the formation to the UK.