Stuck in limbo: Frustration, despair at Sudan-Egypt border

A man sits against a solitary concrete pillar at an abandoned construction site, his head hunched forward, gazing at the dusty ground in quiet desperation as he prepares to leave the small sliver of shade.

A few metres away, under the skeletal concrete frame of an unfinished building, dozens of people lie contorted around bricks and building material as they steal a little respite from the unrelenting sun overhead.

This is Wadi Halfa, a once quiet town, rich in antiquities from Nubia and a commercial thoroughfare located on Sudan's border with Egypt.

Sudan descended into chaos in mid-April after months of rising tensions exploded into an open conflict between rival generals in the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who are seeking to control the country. Thousands of Sudanese have been trapped between the violent clashes and the increasingly dire conditions at the congested border crossings.

The mood at Wadi Halfa oscillates between fervent activity as crowds of people gather, hopeful that they can successfully process their visas at the Egyptian consulate, to scenes of subdued resignation as groups cower in what little shade they can find after facing another rejection.