An 85-year-old British man was shot and his wife died of starvation after they were left behind during the evacuation of UK nationals from Sudan.
Repeated calls for help by the family of Abdalla Sholgami and his wife Alaweya Rishwan, 80, went unanswered, according to an investigation by BBC Arabic.
The couple, who were visiting Sudan, were told they would not receive any assistance and would have to cross the war zone to board the British evacuation flight.
Mr Sholgami, a London hotel owner, eventually had to leave the house, which was next door to the British embassy, in search of food and water. He was shot three times and taken to a hospital in another area of Khartoum for treatment.
The house was surrounded by snipers, so the family could not reach Ms Rishwan, who suffered from a disability. She was found dead of starvation days later by an employee of the Turkish embassy.
Their granddaughter told the BBC: “One of the diplomats in the Turkish embassy [said] I am sorry to tell you this but we went inside and your grandmother passed away.”
She said the house was a “maximum of four steps” from the British embassy.
“It just breaks my heart to think she died alone,” she said. “And she died because she was alone. And she is still alone to this very moment. And she might be buried alone, with none of her family members around her.”
Mr Sholgami has since escaped Sudan to safety in Egypt.
The Foreign Office told the BBC the case was “extremely sad”.
“The continuing military conflict means Sudan remains dangerous,” a spokesman said.
“The UK is taking a leading role in the diplomatic efforts to secure peace in Sudan.”
The Foreign Office said the ability to provide consular assistance is “extremely limited” and cannot provide in-person support in Sudan.
The crisis in Sudan - in pictures
More than 2,300 people were evacuated by the UK Government from Sudan on 28 flights after fighting began in April.
The fighting between Sudan's military and a powerful paramilitary force has displaced more than 1.3 million people, the UN migration agency said on Wednesday.
The International Organisation for Migration said the clashes have forced more than a million people to leave their homes to safer areas inside Sudan.
About 320,000 others have fled to the neighbouring countries of Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic and Libya.
The fighting started on April 15 after months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces commanded by Gen Mohamed Dagalo.
A week-long ceasefire to allow aid deliveries has been in place since Monday night and has largely held, despite reports of heavy clashes in cities including the capital.
The truce, brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia in talks in Jeddah, includes a monitoring mechanism involving the army and the RSF, as well as representatives from Washington and Riyadh.
This week, Annette Weber, EU envoy to the Horn of Africa, told The National that Sudan’s warring sides must consolidate the current ceasefire and allow for immediate humanitarian access, with the backing of a united African front.
“It is clear that we need an African component, we need the African Union to take the lead on this issue,” Ms Weber said during a visit to Abu Dhabi.
Ms Weber said the EU fully supported the idea of an African lead orchestrating a political and humanitarian solution to the crisis with a “task force that encompasses the League of Arab States, the EU, the Quad [the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE]".
“If there is a strong negotiator then it would be in our interest to have the African lead and to have someone to bridge the Arab-African composition of Sudan,” she said.
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
