Dr Abdulrahman Babiker is due back at work at the Manchester Royal Infirmary where he has been working for four years
By Joe Inwood
BBC Newsnight
An NHS doctor refused a place on a UK evacuation flight from Sudan has now been given a seat.
Dr Abdulrahman Babiker said he was delighted to be leaving, speaking to the BBC from the departure area at the evacuation airport north of Khartoum.
On Thursday, the Manchester registrar told Newsnight he felt “betrayed” after being turned away from the airport.
The Foreign Office had said it was prioritising UK nationals and others needed to make their own way to the UK.
It is thought at least 24 Sudanese NHS doctors were in a similar position.
Dr Babiker credited the public attention his story received with the apparent change in policy.
“I got so much support from my colleagues at the hospital, from friends…. everyone knew the case,” the Manchester Royal Infirmary doctor told the BBC.
Despite his relief, he said he still had “mixed feelings” at leaving, as many family members are still in Khartoum.
For almost two weeks, rival factions within the Sudanese military have fought for control, destroying large sections of the capital Khartoum in the process and killing hundreds of civilians.
While Dr Babiker has now been allowed a seat on an evacuation flight, it is not currently clear if there has been an explicit change in government policy. Dr Babiker said he felt there was a definite difference in approach.
He said he had heard of other doctors having a similar experience, and that others he was in contact with had already been flown out of Sudan and landed in Cyprus. The UK has a military air base on the island and is flying people back to Britain from there.
The BBC has approached the Foreign Office for comment and is awaiting a response.
Additional reporting by Alex Binley
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