Plymouth couple's plea for Sudan visa scheme to help family

Med Mahmoud and Sumaya Eisa told the BBC they were worried for their family members in Sudan

A couple from Sudan who live in the UK are calling for a visa scheme to allow family members to escape civil war.

Med Mahmoud and Sumaya Eisa have lived in Plymouth for 10 years and are concerned for their relatives.

The government said it has evacuated 2,000 UK nationals but had no plans to create a new scheme.

Mr Mahmoud said: "The whole government could do something like they did with Ukrainians which is great... but so far nothing has been done for Sudan."

The conflict is between the Sudanese Armed Forces, currently loyal to the country's de-facto leader Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and General Hemeti's Rapid Support Forces.

It has led to chaos in the country, including at Khartoum International Airport, leaving many Sudanese nationals and foreigners stranded.

'Not fair'

Mr Mahmoud's uncle and Ms Eisa's father and mother remain in Sudan.

They said they have been told their relatives should apply for visas in the standard way.

"It is not fair, I do not know why they can't just help them," Ms Eisa explained.

"No visa office is open in Sudan, everything is destroyed. It is a war. How can you get a visa? Are you kidding me?"

A government spokesperson added that preventing a humanitarian emergency in Sudan was its "focus right now".

"Since 2015 we have offered a safe and legal route to the UK to almost half a million people seeking safety but our approach must be considered in the round, rather than on a crisis-by-crisis basis."

Plymouth Moor View MP Johnny Mercer said he would do all he could to help constituents affected by the conflict.

Ms Eisa added: "I can't sleep at night, I'm thinking every minute about this and that I can't save my family."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]