Sudan families evacuated by UAE tell of 'streets filled with bodies' in Khartoum

Second evacuation plane landed in Abu Dhabi carrying 136 passengers on Sunday

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  An evacuation flight from Sudan operated by the UAE lands at Abu Dhabi International Airport. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  Evacuees arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport

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  Emad Abbas and Sarah Ahmed with their four children, aged between four and 12

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  The Al Hussein family reunites

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  Emad Hassan carries his son

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  Bassam Salama, with wife Baraa, who is eight months pregnant

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  A family prays for other members to arrive safely from Sudan

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  Emirati officials and ambassadors greet evacuees

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  Bashar Salama lands at Abu Dhabi International Airport

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  Evacuees wait at immigration

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Families evacuated to safety by the UAE have spoken of the horrors they witnessed in Sudan where a deadly civil war has been raging for two weeks.

A second evacuation plane from Port Sudan landed in Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon, carrying 136 passengers including families with small children, the elderly and embassy staff.

“Streets outside my home were filled with dead bodies. Everywhere, there were dead people,” Emad Hassan, a Sudanese national and father of four from Khartoum, told The National after touching down in Abu Dhabi with his family.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded as clashes between two rival army generals have exploded into a full-scale civil war in Sudan. The deadly conflict has entered a third week amid a faltering ceasefire, and foreign nations have been scrambling to evacuate their citizens.

“There were bombs and air strikes all day. We had to stay locked up inside the house. My children were hiding under the bed. It was horrible,” said Mr Hassan, who works for a petroleum company in Khartoum.

Upon arriving in the UAE, he said he cannot thank Emirati officials for helping his family to escape his home country.

“I have left behind everything that I have – my house, my bank account. I do not know what future holds. But all that matters to me is that my kids are safe,” said Mr Hassan.

Foreign evacuees will be given accommodation until they can be sent on to their home countries, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said.

On Saturday, the UAE evacuated 128 people, including Emiratis and others of 16 different nationalities.

The second evacuation plane landed at 4.45pm at Terminal 2 and Emirati officials and diplomats from different embassies were at the tarmac to receive the families.

Emad Hassan and his family landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport on Sunday. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

There were tears of joy as families were reunited with their children, who had been trapped in Sudan for days.

Syrian father Hassani Antar Al Hussain and wife Sahar burst into tears as they hugged their daughter, Yamama, 21, and son, Mohammed, 18, as soon as they walked off the plane.

“I have no words to thank the UAE. My kids are safe only because Emirati officials went out of their way to help them,” Mr Hussain, a long-time UAE resident, told The National.

Both Yamama and Mohammed were medical students in the American University in Khartoum. Yamama lost her bag containing her Emirates ID, passport and money on her way to Port Sudan.

“She was terrified and was crying. I managed to get a new passport issued from the Syrian embassy in Abu Dhabi. When I explained my plight to the Emirati officials, they reached out to my children and took good care of them until they could be evacuated,” said the father.

Many other families that spoke to The National said the situation in Sudan is turning from bad to worse.

Bashar Salama, a Syrian technical manager at the Tarco Aviation, said “it is beyond description”.

“I was at the airport when the clashes started on April 25. It was around nine in the morning and I had just started my duty when I heard a gunshot. Then there was another one, then a volley of shots. I saw parts of the airport was burning like an inferno,” Mr Salama told The National.

Widespread looting and streetfights are continuing while thousands flee to neighbouring countries for safety.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has said that the civil war will lead to another major refugee crisis.

Displacement crisis

"This is urgently needed also to prevent another major displacement crisis that could further destabilise a fragile region," Mr Grandi said.

Bassam Salama, another Syrian national who landed in Abu Dhabi with his eight-month pregnant wife, told The National that they had to travel 30 hours on the road to reach the aircraft.

“That was like hell, the road from Khartoum to Port Sudan. There was fighting everywhere. We are so relieved we have reached Abu Dhabi safely,” said Mr Salama. The couple said they will stay in the UAE for a while as both have UAE resident permits.

Another Sudanese couple, Emmad Abbas and wife Sarah Ahmed, said they travelled from Madani in Central Sudan for seven days with their four children, aged four and 12, to be evacuated.

“We were praying that we reach Port Sudan safely. Children did not even get food and water. We were sleeping in buses. I cannot believe we have finally made it,” said Mr Abbas.