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| The distance from Sudan to Egypt is only 30 kilometers, but the drivers are asking for 40 thousand dollars |
A family trying to escape Sudan says they are stuck at the Egyptian border because bus drivers there are demanding $40,000 to cross the border.
It should be noted that only people with special permits are allowed to cross the border by bus. Crossing the border on foot has been banned.
The family of seven, including three children under the age of 10, arrived here after fleeing the violence in Khartoum.
Family member Fadi Atabani said that an 88-year-old woman was with them and now they are stuck here.
"There are thousands of people here," he said while talking to the BBC from the cold town of Wadi Halfa. There is no accommodation. People are either sleeping in schools or on mattresses brought with them.
Most of his family members have British citizenship and have appealed to the British government for help.
He said I am worried about the health of my children here because we are in the middle of the desert. I want the British government to help me or arrange a bus so that we can cross the border.
Atabani accused the local bus drivers of trying to take advantage of this unusual situation.
He said that on normal days, these people demand three thousand dollars. Today, some people are even paying 40 thousand dollars, and the distance is only 30 kilometers to cover.
53-year-old Atabani says, "Who has so much money?" Banks are closed here, and ATM machines are not working.
Hasna, a resident of Khartoum, told the BBC that her two daughters are stuck in the Sudanese capital. He said that he had to pay $400 as a fare to reach the border. Before the war in Khartoum, the trip cost $25.
Hasna was in the Egyptian city of Aswan before the battle. He said 'my daughters have seen an artillery shell falling in our neighborhood. I could not bring them here. I don't have a husband or a son to help them. I collect money by working daily.
In an attempt to make money, he started working at a tea shop near Aswan, which has become a refugee stronghold today.
Hasna said that Sudan has been completely destroyed. They are killing people by breaking into their homes.
The Sudanese-American founder of ISRA, a researcher who has arrived in Aswan to help people, has said that there has been a "huge" rise in bus fares here. "People are paying money out of their own pockets to escape here, they lose their dignity," he told the BBC.
Clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began on April 15. Since then, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured.
The two sides had agreed to a three-day ceasefire on Monday, which was extended on Thursday.
At this time, clashes have intensified in the capital and its surroundings. The population of the capital was close to one million, and now there are shortages of food, water, and fuel.
Atabani said he had packed a few clothes before leaving his home in Khartoum.
He says that when I left Khartoum, all my valuables were at home. Does my house still exist there? God knows We just brought along all that we could bring.
His relatives in the UK say that repeated attempts to seek help from the foreign ministry have been unsuccessful.
Officials have told British nationals that they can only be airlifted out of the country from Wadi Saeedna Airfield. However, it may take a two-day bus journey from Khartoum to reach here.
Atabani told the BBC that it is very difficult to reach the airfield. We are told that it will be our responsibility to go to the airfield, how can one put his family in danger.
On Thursday, Turkey said that an aircraft sent by it was fired upon in Saidna Valley.
In a statement released to the BBC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that we are doing everything possible to evacuate British citizens.
"British nationals in Sudan are our priority and we would urge anyone wishing to leave the country to approach a British evacuation center as soon as possible." So far we have not been able to provide transport to the airfield.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that 897 people have been evacuated by planes from Wadi Saeedna Airfield on Thursday evening.
However, the BBC has spoken to a British-born Sudanese doctor who the RAF is trying to evacuate from the eastern Red Sea city. However, currently, there are dozens of Sudanese citizens of British origin in Sudan who are being tried to be evacuated from the port of Sudan, but there is still no flight available for evacuation.
Additional reporting: The BBC's Tom Bateman from Aswan, Egypt.