An NHS doctor has said he feels betrayed by the UK after being turned away from a Sudan evacuation flight.
Dr Abdulrahman Babiker travelled to Sudan to visit his family for Eid but has not been able to return to the UK despite frantic evacuations from the war-torn country.
The doctor, who is due back at work at Manchester Royal Infirmary on Tuesday, has a work permit but does not possess a UK passport.
The Foreign Office has said it is prioritising the evacuation of British nationals from Sudan amid the fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group.
“To be honest I feel totally betrayed. I worked throughout Covid and I’m so disappointed,” Dr Babiker told BBC Newsnight.
Fighting has gripped the capital city Khartoum over the last two weeks resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people.
The Government has already removed diplomatic staff and their families, while separate evacuation flights have removed an estimated 897 UK nationals as of Thursday afternoon.
Dr Babiker, who has worked at the Manchester hospital for four years, had queued for 16 hours to be one of those to be evacuated from the site north of the capital.
“They said, ‘we are really sorry, this is the guidance from the Home Office’. And a soldier took me out,” he said.
According to Dr Nadia Baasher of the Sudanese Junior Doctor’s Association, there at least 24 NHS doctors in a similar situation after having returned home to celebrate Eid.
"People are heartbroken by the whole situation," she said.
"It's not safe. This is is very disappointing to see that they weren't treated with some consideration."
This comes as another three-day ceasefire has been agreed in Sudan.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “The UK calls for its full implementation by the generals. British evacuation flights are ongoing.
“I urge all British nationals wishing to leave to proceed to the airport as quickly as possible to ensure their safety.”
More than 2,000 British nationals in Sudan have registered under the evacuation plans, according to reports.
Downing Street has rejected calls from people, including Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns, to widen the eligibility for evacuation beyond British passport holders and their immediate family.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “There is an element of discretion for people on the ground as you might expect, given the circumstances and the challenging situation people will be facing.
“We recognise these are very challenging circumstances and, as we have done on previous occasions, we obviously empower people on the ground to make decisions.”
A UK Government spokesperson told the Standard: “The evacuation response from Khartoum is open to all British nationals and their eligible dependents who wish to leave Sudan.
“Those who have existing entry clearance for the UK but are not the dependent of a British passport holder can still come to the UK via other points of exit, such as crossing the border into Egypt.”
