A Manchester Royal Infirmary doctor who felt ‘betrayed’ for being unable to board an evacuation flight from Sudan reportedly has a route out of the conflict — but an MP says there is ‘confusion’ in his case.
Dr Abdulrahman Babiker was visiting relatives in Sudan for Eid earlier this month when vicious fighting broke out between rival military factions over the future of the African country. Once violence broke out, he sought safety by boarding a flight back to Britain.
Due back on shift at MRI on Tuesday (April 25), Dr Babiker attempted to fly home but was stopped at Wadi Seidna air base following a 16-hour queue, with soldiers telling him Home Office guidance meant only British passport holders could be evacuated. That led to Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central, to pick up his case with BBC Newsnight.
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"To be honest I feel totally betrayed,” he told the programme. “I worked throughout Covid and I'm so disappointed.
“I'd be more than happy to wait for other people to be evacuated before me, but to not have any chance to be evacuated in this very risky situation is...I'm really feeling disappointed."
Now, after the MP’s intervention, it appears the doctor has a seat home.
This afternoon (April 28), the BBC reported he had a route out of the country. "I got so much support from my colleagues at the hospital, from friends.... everyone knew the case," he told the corporation.
However, after initially saying she was ‘relieved’ to hear Dr Babiker had a way home, Ms Powell then said there was ‘confusion’. Five minutes after tweeting her relief, she posted on social media: “Although I have literally just received an email from the home office to say he is not eligible for evacuation … still way too much confusion about these cases and more discretion should be applied.”
Several hours after her tweet, the BBC continued to report that Dr Babiker could leave the nation, however.
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