Sudan

I think it's called gum arabic. It's used in weight-loss products too.

growstuff

Poppyred

Seems to be lot in a poor African country……

I really don't understand why there shouldn't be!

Some of them will be engineers working on government contracts or scientists or businesspeople or people like my daughter's future father-in-law (born in Sudan but now with a British passport).

The Sudanese are quite civilised, you know! Sudan has vast natural resources and was a British colony until 1956, so there will still be British contacts.

I agree growstuff

Please excuse my brain fog, but Sudan is the major grower/exporter of an ingredient which is necessary for almost all fizzy soft drinks.

So we can expect another shortage on supermarket shelves in the coming months.

Poppyred

Seems to be lot in a poor African country……

I really don't understand why there shouldn't be!

Some of them will be engineers working on government contracts or scientists or businesspeople or people like my daughter's future father-in-law (born in Sudan but now with a British passport).

The Sudanese are quite civilised, you know! Sudan has vast natural resources and was a British colony until 1956, so there will still be British contacts.

Poppyred

Seems to be lot in a poor African country……

Not at all, there are 4.7 million British citizens estimated to be living elsewhere in the world, so 4000 in one country is chicken feed.

BBC - Fri, April 28, 2023

"A Turkish evacuation plane coming into land at an airbase outside Sudan's capital, Khartoum, has been fired at, Turkey's defence ministry has said.

[appears to be Herk, similar to UK Herks]

No-one was injured and the plane landed safely at Wadi Seidna airfield, where it was being checked.

Sudan's army blamed paramilitary fighters for firing at the aircraft and damaging its fuel system. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) denied the allegation, saying it was committed to the extended humanitarian truce."

Seems to be lot in a poor African country……

Poppyred

Why are 4000 British citizens in Sudan??

Why wouldn't there be? Because they have jobs there. Same as there are British citizens in most countries of the world.

My soon to be son-in-law's father is from Sudan and was there just a few weeks ago to attend his father's funeral. If the conflict had started then, he would have been one of those requiring evacuation.

Why are 4000 British citizens in Sudan??

chaos mayhem madness

Three words I’ve picked out of the recent posts on this thread.
Those words sum up the situation accurately. It will be absolutely chaotic, and mayhem and madness will be in evidence at the airport and over the country as a whole. Thank goodness our brave troops are doing their duty so diligently and helping to get as many as are eligible out safely.

Callistemon21

Casdon

Callistemon21

Casdon

GrannyGravy13

Casdon yes it is unfortunate, but as it stands only those with U.K. passports are being evacuated on U.K. rescue flights.

In war lines have to be drawn which to some seem unjust.

Yes, I understand that. However I think there should be a strategy for how to manage their safe passage, and I don’t see why they shouldn’t remain waiting at the airport in case there is an opportunity to send them out on a flight in due course. Sending them away seems wrong.

It has been reported that a Turkish evacuation plane has been fired upon at the airport.

We cannot send troops over to escort those needing to evacuate, so how a safe passage can be managed from different areas in such an unstable environment is impossible to imagine.

Nonetheless, he’s made it.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65423219
I understand all the difficulties, but there are thousands of British citizens who need to get out still, and I don’t think those who are doctors working for our NHS should be abandoned in the chaos, that’s all I’m saying.

Oh good. I'm pleased.

However, when places are limited, British citizens must take priority. Imagine the furore if a British child had been taken off the plane to allow him to have a place.
Actually, I don't think he would have allowed that to happen.

I hope everyone will be rescued, this is madness.

I hope they are all rescued too, and no, I’m sure he wouldn’t have taken the place of a child. I think the issue they are having is that not everybody can make it to the airport, and I’m sure he will have been allocated a vacant seat because there was nobody else available to take it, and filling up the planes departing is essential to get people out. It must be mayhem.

Obviously what has happened to the doctor is that the bad publicity about his case has shamed the Foreign Office into reversing course as it should. There are other doctors in the same position waiting to return to the UK. It makes no sense to prevent junior doctors from completing their training and continuing to work in the NHS. The provision of medical services in Sudan is a matter for the Sudanese government, not the UK government: a hard point to make but - as some have pointed out - war requires hard decisions to be taken.

Casdon

Callistemon21

Casdon

GrannyGravy13

Casdon yes it is unfortunate, but as it stands only those with U.K. passports are being evacuated on U.K. rescue flights.

In war lines have to be drawn which to some seem unjust.

Yes, I understand that. However I think there should be a strategy for how to manage their safe passage, and I don’t see why they shouldn’t remain waiting at the airport in case there is an opportunity to send them out on a flight in due course. Sending them away seems wrong.

It has been reported that a Turkish evacuation plane has been fired upon at the airport.

We cannot send troops over to escort those needing to evacuate, so how a safe passage can be managed from different areas in such an unstable environment is impossible to imagine.

Nonetheless, he’s made it.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65423219
I understand all the difficulties, but there are thousands of British citizens who need to get out still, and I don’t think those who are doctors working for our NHS should be abandoned in the chaos, that’s all I’m saying.

Oh good. I'm pleased.

However, when places are limited, British citizens must take priority. Imagine the furore if a British child had been taken off the plane to allow him to have a place.
Actually, I don't think he would have allowed that to happen.

I hope everyone will be rescued, this is madness.

Callistemon21

Casdon

GrannyGravy13

Casdon yes it is unfortunate, but as it stands only those with U.K. passports are being evacuated on U.K. rescue flights.

In war lines have to be drawn which to some seem unjust.

Yes, I understand that. However I think there should be a strategy for how to manage their safe passage, and I don’t see why they shouldn’t remain waiting at the airport in case there is an opportunity to send them out on a flight in due course. Sending them away seems wrong.

It has been reported that a Turkish evacuation plane has been fired upon at the airport.

We cannot send troops over to escort those needing to evacuate, so how a safe passage can be managed from different areas in such an unstable environment is impossible to imagine.

Nonetheless, he’s made it.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65423219
I understand all the difficulties, but there are thousands of British citizens who need to get out still, and I don’t think those who are doctors working for our NHS should be abandoned in the chaos, that’s all I’m saying.

Casdon

GrannyGravy13

Casdon yes it is unfortunate, but as it stands only those with U.K. passports are being evacuated on U.K. rescue flights.

In war lines have to be drawn which to some seem unjust.

Yes, I understand that. However I think there should be a strategy for how to manage their safe passage, and I don’t see why they shouldn’t remain waiting at the airport in case there is an opportunity to send them out on a flight in due course. Sending them away seems wrong.

It has been reported that a Turkish evacuation plane has been fired upon at the airport.

We cannot send troops over to escort those needing to evacuate, so how a safe passage can be managed from different areas in such an unstable environment is impossible to imagine.

Nicenanny3

In my opinion only people holding a British passport should be let in.

Give us an explanation as to why you think it’s okay to abandon doctors who are working for the NHS part way through training programmes, and why you think it’s okay to leave NHS patients without care as a result of gaps created by these staff being unavailable Nicenanny3.

In my opinion only people holding a British passport should be let in.

GrannyGravy13

Casdon yes it is unfortunate, but as it stands only those with U.K. passports are being evacuated on U.K. rescue flights.

In war lines have to be drawn which to some seem unjust.

Yes, I understand that. However I think there should be a strategy for how to manage their safe passage, and I don’t see why they shouldn’t remain waiting at the airport in case there is an opportunity to send them out on a flight in due course. Sending them away seems wrong.

Casdon yes it is unfortunate, but as it stands only those with U.K. passports are being evacuated on U.K. rescue flights.

In war lines have to be drawn which to some seem unjust.

GrannyGravy13

Nandalot

Grannygravy, but these doctors have British residency and worked for us through the pandemic.

I do not know their status, some are saying they have a working visa, you have posted that they have residency.

Do we know where they were stopped and by whom. Was it at one of the many checkpoints manned by Sudanese Forces, and if so which faction of the Sudanese conflict were manning that particular checkpoint?

I doubt very much that U.K. Forces at the airfield have the authority to pick and choose who boards the flights. They have to obey orders given to them by their Commanding Officer.

We do not know enough details to decide what is right or wrong, nor should we in a dangerous situation which could rapidly deteriorate any minute.

Their circumstances will all be different. This doctor is a registrar in the NHS, so part way through a training scheme, he will have a working visa. Yes, he could stay in Sudan, but to do that he would forgo his place on a training scheme after four years, and leave a critical gap in the team he works for. I do think there are exceptions, and he should not have been turned away by the army at the airport - there needs to be a strategic approach in these cases.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65420882

Well said @ 11.19 maddy.

It did say on the news last night that only holders of British passports were allowed to board the planes. Apparently some people were trying to get some of their family members out, which is understandable under the circumstances, but only British citizens are allowed to board the planes. The places obviously must be available to citizens who can get there and so others cannot be allowed to board. This is the sad reality of war.

Nandalot

*Grannygravy*, but these doctors have British residency and worked for us through the pandemic.

I do not know their status, some are saying they have a working visa, you have posted that they have residency.

Do we know where they were stopped and by whom. Was it at one of the many checkpoints manned by Sudanese Forces, and if so which faction of the Sudanese conflict were manning that particular checkpoint?

I doubt very much that U.K. Forces at the airfield have the authority to pick and choose who boards the flights. They have to obey orders given to them by their Commanding Officer.

We do not know enough details to decide what is right or wrong, nor should we in a dangerous situation which could rapidly deteriorate any minute.

Grannygravy, but these doctors have British residency and worked for us through the pandemic.

Katie59

Our military are not accessing anywhere outside the airport, they are helping and preparing the evacuees for the flight out. No doubt there are some of our own soldiers watching what the Sudanese close to the airport are doing, because you cannot rule out a rouge unit breaking the cease fire.

Absolutely they are not allowed to leave the airfield, the U.K. doesn’t want boots on the ground in this conflict.

The Sudanese Forces are manning all checkpoints and it is them who decide who passes through.

Our military are not accessing anywhere outside the airport, they are helping and preparing the evacuees for the flight out. No doubt there are some of our own soldiers watching what the Sudanese close to the airport are doing, because you cannot rule out a rouge unit breaking the cease fire.