FG Begins Evacuation of Stranded Nigerians, Students in Sudan

FG has commenced the evacuation of Stranded Nigerians and Students in Sudan.

Dailyreport Nigeria reports that the Federal Government has announced the commencement of the evacuation of approximately 5,500 Nigerians, including students, who are currently stranded in Khartoum and other cities in Sudan.

To achieve this, the government has released N150m for the hiring of 40 buses to convey its citizens from Sudan to Cairo in Egypt.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, through the National Emergency Management Agency, made the payment of the N150m to an undisclosed transport company on Tuesday at 12:37 pm.

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The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa confirmed that the payment for the evacuation of Nigerian nationals from Sudan has been made.

The evacuees were scheduled to take off on Wednesday morning. This move comes amidst the three-day ceasefire declared by the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Force.

Foreign countries have taken advantage of the temporary suspension of hostilities to move their nationals from Sudan. This was due to the deadly fighting between the two forces which has been ongoing for the past week.

The recent clashes in Sudan between General Abdel al-Burha and General Mohamed Dagalo have caused a significant power-sharing disagreement.

Unfortunately, the conflict has resulted in the loss of 500 lives, with thousands more injured and millions displaced.

In the past few weeks, the city of five million has been the site of intense conflict between army and paramilitary troops. Since April 15, the streets have been the scene of ferocious battles, resulting in significant damage to the city’s infrastructure. Charred tanks, gutted buildings, and looted shops have become a common sight across the city.