My daughter is a student at Sudan International University in Khartoum – but thankfully she had come home to Nigeria before the Eid holidays so was not there when the fighting broke out.

But my own relief was overshadowed as the clashes escalated and we got a true picture of events from other relatives and friends – I have family across Sudan.

My daughter was first to hear of the fighting, waking me up at 05:00 GMT on the day it began. I then started receiving phone calls, text messages and WhatsApp voice recordings of the situation on ground.

Some of my relatives were at the airport on their way to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage when it started. They had even boarded the flight, but were forced to disembark and the plane was set ablaze by one of the factions.

Stranded at the airport with little food and water to break their fast during Ramadan, they were left terrified and confused.

As we spoke over the phone, I heard the terrifying sound of bombs and gunshots in the background.

Thankfully they all managed to leave the airport and after sheltering for a couple of days with friends, they have now left the country for Ethiopia – helped by holding diplomatic passports.

But I have barely slept for more than four hours at a time since fighting broke out as other Nigerians are still in the country and many know that I work with the BBC.

Somehow they have found my phone number, some of them students through my daughter, and they have been calling to cry for help to be evacuated – something the Nigerian government says it is endeavouring to do.

BBC