A British doctor is facing an agonising choice between risking a deadly infection from his gunshot wound and leaving his vulnerable elderly mother to fend for herself in a war zone in Sudan.
The doctor, who retired recently after working in the NHS for over 30 years, was visiting his family in Khartoum for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr when fierce clashes between forces loyal to the country’s two top generals erupted in the city on 15 April.
He was shot in the leg when he “risked his life” moving his daughter and 87-year-old mother, who requires constant care, to a safer place in Khartoum.
It has been too risky for any of the family to get to a pharmacy or a hospital, so his daughter has been forced to treat him at home using some leftover antibiotics.
Speaking to The Independent, a second daughter – a British doctor based in London, who is calling herself Dr A in order to protect her family in Sudan – said: “I’m worried about his leg. It could develop an abscess and get infected. That’s the next concern. If he gets sepsis then he’s in big trouble.”
Following an agreed 72-hour ceasefire, the British government has begun evacuation flights from Sudan for those with British passports. The retired doctor and his daughter, both British-Sudanese dual nationals like Dr A, are eligible to be evacuated from Sudan by the British authorities – but The Independent understands that the retired doctor’s mother is currently not.
Dr A said: “The Foreign Office contacted my father and told him they can only evacuate him and my sister, but not my grandmother as she is not a British citizen.
“The UK cannot expect him to evacuate, leaving his 87-year-old mother on her own in the middle of war in Khartoum. The house is located close to the fighting at the airport.
“It is inhuman. This is not acceptable. My father will not leave his mother behind, he will not leave.”
The Independent understands that the British government is not planning to set up a bespoke scheme to admit Sudanese citizens fleeing their country, like the schemes established in respect of Ukraine and Afghanistan, and is only intending to evacuate British citizens and embassy staff.
There is no asylum visa for people wanting to travel to the UK legally, and it is unclear how they could apply for other types of visa and catch commercial flights to Britain amid the chaos in Khartoum.
As a result, Sudanese refugees face being criminalised and deported from the UK, because there are no safe and legal routes for most people fleeing the conflict.
The Foreign Office has said it is only evacuating British passport holders and either their partners, children, or parents if the British passport holder is under 18. This criterion does not fit Dr A’s grandmother.
Dr A said she had tried applying for a temporary visa for her grandmother, who could then be moved on to their home in Egypt – but she is still waiting to hear back.
In the meantime, she said, her father “has decided not to evacuate as he cannot leave without his mother”.
While he was in pain on Monday and a redness has developed around his wound, he has no temperature, said Dr A, so it is unlikely an infection has developed just yet.
The family said they are keeping a close eye on the wound while they await news of their fate from the government.
A British government spokesperson said: “We are evacuating British nationals and their immediate family members who have existing eligibility to enter the UK.
“We are monitoring the situation carefully and keeping this situation under review recognising that there will be many people facing very challenging circumstances and decisions.
“We continue to work intensively, alongside international partners, to maintain the ceasefire and bring an end to fighting – the single most important thing we can do to ensure the safety of British nationals and others in Sudan.”
