1,519 Nigerians leave Khartoum for Port Sudan

The Federal Government says about 1,519 Nigerians stranded in Sudan are expected to leave the capital Khartoum via hired buses to Port Sudan and other designated border points for their onward evacuation to Nigeria.

The latest development followed the extension of another 72-hour ceasefire agreement reached between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Para-military Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

Port Sudan is a port on the Red Sea in the eastern part of Sudan and the capital of the State of Red Sea.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Sani Gwarzo, while speaking on the situation with Nigerians in Sudan on Sunday in Abuja, said the stranded citizens were expected to leave on April 30.

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Gwarzo, who is the chairperson of the Federal Government Situation Room, on the evacuation exercise, stated that the government had already secured 31 buses in addition to the reserve buses kept in case of unforeseen circumstances.

“We have given the bus company our word that under no circumstances shall they leave anybody on ground; even if it is one more person that is remaining let them activate our reserve list and bring out the new buses.

“I spoke to the student leader and the Embassy in this regard; so we are expecting each bus will carry 49 persons and if you calculate this number times 31 buses it will give you the number of persons to be evacuated today,” he said.

He, therefore, stressed that the Federal Government is more interested in the safety and successful evacuation of the stranded Nigerian students.

The Star