FG begins evacuation of Nigerians from Sudan

The Federal Government has declared that over 2,000 Nigerians stranded in crisis-hit Sudan will be evacuated beginning from Tuesday, April 25.

The Star had reported that the Federal Government had set up a committee to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan over the current crisis in the country.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in a statement issued on Saturday, April 23, by its Head of Press Unit, Manzo Ezekiel, stated that a search and rescue committee had been set up to work towards evacuating Nigerians stranded in the embattled country.

NEMA said the committee, which consists of professional emergency responders, search and rescue experts, “will constantly evaluate the situation and seek for the safest way to evacuate the Nigerian citizens even if it is through a country neigboring Sudan.”

However, the chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in an interview with BBC Africa on Monday, April 24, said the Federal Government has asked for a safe corridor for the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in Sudan.

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Dabiri-Erewa said the evacuation of the citizens would begin on Tuesday, adding that they would be transported by buses to the borders of Egypt before being airlifted to Nigeria.

She said: “We are hoping that by tomorrow, the first set of buses will be leaving Khartoum heading toward some borders in Cairo…to evacuate the first set to a safe place where we can now airlift them back home to Nigeria.

“So, I know that the National Association of Nigerian Students actually sent a message and told all of them come somewhere so we can pay some fees but that was a dangerous move so they’ve all returned back to base and there’s a contact from the Nigerian mission in Sudan where there will be coming to.

“So, as soon as the buses are ready, like I said, most likely by tomorrow morning, they will convey them safely and that is the keyword.”

The NiDCOM chairperson added that the evacuation process was delayed because the Federal Government had yet to hear from the warring factions in Sudan for a safe passage.

“Now, here is the thing, why are we waiting? Because we must ensure that we get the permission of the military on both sides.

“Now, we have a large number of Nigerian students, we’re talking of thousands, nothing less than 3,500 that are stranded there so we’re conveying them in a whole lot of buses. Imagine seeing 10 buses without any security, you’re putting them in harm’s way.

“So we want to ensure that there’s safety and security, so by tomorrow morning, we believe that they’ll now go en route to Egypt and get to two borders there and they’ll be in a safe location to return home.

“Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted both sides of the divide and we have asked for a safe corridor for our students and that means to give us security,” Dabiri-Erewa disclosed.

The Star