A Scots aid worker who helped people fleeing from war-torn Sudan has spoken about the "terrifying" situation, and the heartbreaking story of a woman having to leave her husband behind.
In April armed conflict broke out between warring factions of the north-east African country's military government.
The fighting spurred other countries to repatriate nationals living in Sudan, with the UK rescuing more than 2,450 people, though there was some initial criticism that the British government was slow to evacuate civilians after repatriating embassy staff.
British Red Cross volunteer Liz Tait provided psychosocial support after being deployed to Cyprus with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) when violence erupted in Sudan.
The NHS Grampian Clinical Governance expert was part of the UK Government’s successful operation to rescue more than 2,450 people – the longest and largest evacuation by any Western nation.
Speaking for the first time, Ms Tait, 64, from Lossiemouth, Moray told of the harrowing cases she had to deal with.
She said: “The intensity of the violence meant that people were describing the most terrifying journeys just to escape and many of them had gunshot wounds.
“The memory that sticks most in my mind was a lady, probably the same age as me, who had to leave her terminally ill husband behind.
“They both held British passports, but he was certainly not well enough to make that journey. I think he was very much towards end-of-life and she was absolutely heart-broken because she knew she would never see him again.
“It must have been the worst of dilemmas, but the husband had very much wanted her to go. He wanted to die knowing that she had escaped to safety.
"I sat with her for some time talking to her about the memories she had of their life together and reassuring her that she had made the decision that brought most comfort to her husband. Her story will live with me forever.”
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More than 600 people have been killed since brutal fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan’s military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
More than 700,000 people are estimated to have been forced to flee in fear with humanitarian aid workers amongst those who have been killed.
Ms Tait, who was born in Kilmarnock, said: "Many of the people I supported had been caught up in the violence and had literally had to run for their lives past rotting bodies in the street.
“People were describing very, very difficult journeys. There were stories of people having their cars taken from them at gunpoint.
“There was one person who had been travelling with her parents when they came under attack. They’d all run for their lives, but they had no idea where her parents were. It had been too dangerous to go back and look for them. It was very distressing to hear.
“People had also been taken at gunpoint out of their houses and as far as they are concerned, they will never see those properties or possessions ever again. One person I spoke to said, ‘It will all be gone’, but these people were still just glad to be safe.
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"We supported unaccompanied children, including a very young toddler. The family had been in Egypt on holiday and the wee one had gone to stay with her Sudanese grandparents for a couple of weeks and ended up trapped. The fighting meant the dad could not fly in to pick her up as planned and the grandparents did not have a British passport. We worked with all the services to reunite her with her parents.”
Ms Tait was first deployed through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to support people fleeing Beirut in 2006 and has since been involved with emergencies including the Chinese earthquake in 2008, the Afghanistan evacuation in 2021, the response to Hurricane Irma in Dominica in 2017, and the Tunisia terror attack in 2015.
She has also been part of British Red Cross teams that have responded to the Manchester arena bombing, Grenfell Tower fire and Shoreham Air Show disaster.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “I’m incredibly proud of the vital work that the British Red Cross, and people like Liz are doing to help the most vulnerable in response to humanitarian crises around the globe - often in very challenging circumstances.
“People from across the UK have been at the very heart of our efforts to help people fleeing Sudan in their hour of need, and I am grateful for their tireless service and dedication.
“The UK has coordinated the longest and largest evacuation of any Western country and brought 2450 people to safety from Sudan. Our priority now is to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches those who need it and to continue to press for a long-term ceasefire.”
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