Sudan fighting: South Sudan man crowdfunds Khartoum evacuation

A South Sudanese man is crowdfunding to evacuate his compatriots trapped in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Akoc Manhiem, 41, is paying lorry drivers to make the 450km journey to the border between the two countries.

The first truck, carrying around 100 people, left Khartoum for the town of Renk in South Sudan on Thursday.

Thousands of people have been making perilous journeys out of Sudan in the last two weeks amid fighting in the capital and other parts of the country.

Mr Manhiem, 41, who is co-ordinating efforts from Juba, said: "Our people are in really dire need. They are trapped. A bottle of water in Khartoum has become so expensive, so imagine how much food is."

He hopes to rescue South Sudanese citizens, including those with Sudanese dual citizenship, as well as refugees who fled to Khartoum during the 2013 South Sudan civil war.

"For those on refugee status, they went to Sudan to run away from danger. Now they're running back to South Sudan. We are trying to help them, these are poor people," Mr Manhiem said.

He aims to crowdfund $100,000 (£80,144) which he said will pay for 10 trucks, each with enough space for 100-160 people.

"The US came all the way to pick up their own citizens, the UK did, Kenya did. So we are here to give a signal of generosity and care to help our people stranded," he said.

Without crowdfunded efforts like this one, it's an expensive task to leave Sudan.

Large numbers of South Sudanese people are trying to make the same journey out of Khartoum to South Sudan's capital Juba, a 1,600km (990 mile) route with very few decent roads.

The BBC understands some people have been quoted $500 or more for a bus ticket. Those who have already made the journey say they received a warm welcome from residents of South Sudanese towns along the route, who try to feed and look after the evacuees.

It is difficult to confirm exactly how many South Sudanese citizens are currently in Sudan and how many are trying to escape.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) there are more than 800,000 South Sudanese refugees there, a quarter of whom are in Khartoum.

The South Sudan government says it is doing "everything within its power to receive South Sudanese citizens who are returning to their country".

It reported nearly 10,000 people arrived in Renk in the 24 hours leading to Monday, but this figure included "nationals of some neighbouring countries".

Hundreds of others have crossed the border elsewhere, the government says.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a 2005 agreement that ended Africa's longest-running civil war.

Despite the peace agreement, the country continues to grapple with sporadic violence and is suffering "a major humanitarian crisis", according to the UNHCR.