Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/04/britons-trapped-in-sudan-say-relatives-were-not-allowed-on-flights
Due to the civil war happening in Sudan, the UK has been evacuating out British citizens and their dependents. But British citizens in Sudan have said that they’re being forced to choose between leaving behind family members, or go back to the UK without them. Suleiman, a British citizen, was told by the British official that in order to go back to the UK, he could take his 2 children but leave his pregnant wife behind. Suleiman refused and they are still in Sudan. Roza Mohammed, her niece who was a UK citizen, and her sister who wasn’t, were refused boarding for a flight because her sister didn’t have a visa. And they couldn’t prove her niece’s citizenship. Eventually pressure from both them and family in the UK allowed them to board a plan and fly out of Sudan. There are much more examples of situations similar to the ones already described, and there doesn’t seem to be a system to who the UK allows to board and not board. Kamal, a British citizen, and his wife Batool, a citizen applicant, and their children were turned away because the airport claimed they didn’t have the correct documents. Eventually calling from family in the UK allowed them to board. A UK spokesperson has come out and said that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is a priority, and so is getting citizens and their families out.
While situations like these unfortunately aren’t common when it comes to evacuating citizens out a certain country, it is disappointing. Of course citizens of a country are going to try and bring in family who aren’t citizens. They’re fearing and running for their lives. More compassion and empathy would be nice, but I guess they need to be British.
This article is related to class because the events and country discussed are in my assigned region.