A Moray health manager has spoken of the harrowing cases she dealt with while volunteering to support British citizens fleeing war-torn Sudan.
British Red Cross volunteer Liz Tait, from Lossiemouth, was deployed to Cyprus when the violence erupted in Sudan last month.
She was part of the UK Government’s operation to rescue more than 2,450 people from the country – where more than 600 people have been killed.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
The 64-year-old sat with the woman to talk about her memories and to reassure her she had made the right decision.
“Her story will live with me forever,” she added.
People running for their lives
When she is not supporting those in emergency situations through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Ms Tait works as a clinical governance expert for NHS Grampian’s Moray Health & Social Care Partnership.
In the past, she has been deployed to China, Afghanistan, Dominica and Tunisia to offer crucial support for people going through “the most appalling distressful situations”.
She said: “Just having someone there to discuss how they are feeling and letting them talk about their experience and acknowledging what they’ve been through and offering support can make such a massive difference to a person’s recovery.”
Most of the people she supported in Cyprus had been caught up in the violence in Sudan – and had to run for their lives past rotting bodies in the street.
“People were describing very, very difficult journeys,” she said. “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.”
Thousands evacuated
The UK Government’s rescue of 2,450 people from Sudan has been the longest and largest evacuation by any Western nation.
In total, more than 700,000 people are estimated to have been forced to flee in fear.
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 2,450 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.”
Conversation