Traumatised Sudan evacuees describe ‘horrendous’ scenes in Khartoum as they arrive in Cyprus

Many persons are arriving in Cyprus completely traumatised and too upset to speak about what they have been by means of to get right here.

We watched 100 or so, slowly stroll down the ramp off the again of an RAF Hercules plane into the Mediterranean solar on this vacation island. What a tradition shock that should be.

They’re met by British authorities employees from the Foreign Office’s speedy response workforce – lots of them are pulling 20-hour shifts as plane land in any respect hours of the day.

Medics and help employees are on standby for anybody who wants assist. The Cypriot authorities have expertise of this – the exodus from Lebanon in 2006 – they usually’re working carefully with the British.

The course of is fast as soon as they land. They’re taken by means of immigration after which fast-tracked to a departures lounge away from most passengers, prepared for a chartered flight again to the UK.

Some are giddy with the elation of creating it to security. Most are exhausted, silent and near tears.

We met Dr Abdraman, his 4 sons and his spouse, simply as they have been about to board their flight house.

His spouse needed to go away her mother and father behind. She buried her head in her scarf and sobbed as her youngsters advised us what they’d skilled.

“It was kind of tiring because we had to go upstairs and downstairs when we heard bullets and bombs because downstairs is more safe because they normally hit upwards, and it might hit us.”

If there may be house, the RAF flights are bringing out different nationalities too.

We met an Australian, Eltayeb Eltayeb, who’d made it out in a single day.

He mentioned the scenario in Khartoum was “horrendous” and “horrific”.

“In the middle of the city there were dead bodies everywhere, it was starting to smell like a lot of carcasses.

“[There were] loads of buildings knocked down, loads of properties shattered, lots of people displaced from their properties, and lots of people lifeless,” he said.

“It’s saddening as a result of it is proper in your entrance doorstep, you possibly can hear the gunshots outdoors, the bullets, the tanks firing, the missiles falling down hitting their targets.

“Your house vibrating, the windows shaking, it’s a pretty daunting and traumatic experience.”

Mr Eltayeb was staying together with his household round 20 minutes from the centre of Khartoum. His home was reverse what he believed was one of many headquarters for the Rapid Support Forces – one of many two teams concerned within the preventing.

“You look into the road and you see someone holding an AK looking at you and you just walk right back home.

“There’s a famine going on right now. There’s shortages of food, water, supplies. Nothing’s open, no-one is bringing supplies in, people are running out. Sooner or later they’re going to start jumping on the doors and extorting houses.”

The British navy says they’ll have the ability to proceed working rescue flights, even when the preventing resumes.

They might need to. The 72-hour ceasefire is rapidly operating out and tons of extra Britons are nonetheless trapped in Sudan.