The Nigerian Goverment has revealed that the movement of the second batch of Nigerians with 29 buses to commence evacuation from Sudan conflict on Saturday, 29th April, 2023.
In a joint statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development issued in Abuja on Saturday.
The Federal Government confirmed that the first batch of 13 buses conveying six hundred and thirty seven (637) evacuees had arrived the identified safe borders at Aswan, Egypt.
Adding that these Evacuees are undergoing necessary documentation and clearance before admission into the Egyptian territory for their eventual evacuation to Nigeria.
The FG asked the batch 2 of Nigerian evacuees to be at the designated locations with only one luggage as Embassy staff are very much on ground in Khartoum to coordinate the evacuation exercise to the very end.
Therefore, It advised the students and other Nigerians awaiting evacuation from Khartoum, Sudan to cooperate with them in order to ensure orderliness and proper documentation while embarking on the buses.
Nigerian Goverment said, “This will go a long way in speeding up the process and avoiding unnecessary delays with documentation and clearance upon arrival at the Aswan, Egypt.
While the FG empathized with affected Nigerians, maintaining order amidst the desperate situation remains crucial to getting interested Nigerians out of the war zone in record time before the expiration of the ceasefire, which has been extended by 72 hours.
It further urged general public to discountenance unverified information being circulated on the social media as some of them are either due to ignorance or sheer mischief.
“The outcry over the negotiated sum of $1.2 million for the buses hired for the exercise, is uncalled for. The amount in question, was negotiated in a condition of war and where there are competing demands for same bus services by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens.
“Therefore, the cooperation and
understanding of all and sundry is required to complement ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring the safe return of every Nigerian trapped in Sudan”, the FG clarified.
Seizing this opportunity to extend appreciation to friendly countries who have in one way or the other assisted in bringing succour to Nigerians fleeing the war in Sudan.
“Particularly, Nigeria acknowledges the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for graciously assisting with evacuation of eight Nigerians from Sudan to safety in its territory, from where they would be airlifted back to Nigeria.
“In the time being, the first batch of Nigerian evacuees who have arrived Aswan are expected to be airlifted to Nigeria in the coming hours by the Nigerian Air Force and Air Peace airline, who have been on standby for the operations”, FG explained.
The heavy fighting and insecurity caused by the clash of Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces in Sudan has driven tens of thousands to flee in search of safety.
The conflicting parties previously agreed to a three-day ceasefire that was due to expire late on Thursday, gave initial approval to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks.
Since the Sudan fighting erupted on April 15, air strikes and others have killed over 500 people, wounded nearly 4,200, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in the vast nation where a third of the 46 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid.