First Batch of Nigerians Expected from Sudan Today
By Urube Peter, Abuja
Honourable Ministers; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of
Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development who are co-chairing
the Situation Room on evacuation of stranded Nigerians in the war ravaged Sudan, has indicated that the first batch of evacuees are expected to touch down in the country today.
The Ministers noted that the first batch of 13 buses conveying six hundred and thirty
seven (637) evacuees had arrived the identified safe borders at Aswan, Egypt and
are undergoing necessary documentation and clearance before admission into the
Egyptian territory for their eventual evacuation to Nigeria.
In the meantime, the first batch of Nigerian evacuees which 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 operation.
As at the time of filing this joint press release, the movement of the second batch of 29 buses is expected to commence on Saturday, 29th of
April, 2023.
The Ministries in the press release advised the evacuees to be at the designated locations with only
one luggage.
They informed that contrary to insinuations on the social media, Embassy staff are very
much on ground in Khartoum to coordinate the evacuation exercise to the very end.
The concerned Ministries in the press release also called on students and other Nigerians awaiting evacuation from Khartoum, Sudan, to cooperate with embassy staff in order to ensure orderliness and
proper documentation while embarking on the buses.
According to them, this will go a long way in
speeding up the process and avoiding unnecessary delays with documentations and
clearance upon arrival at the Aswan, Egypt.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government empathized with affected Nigerians, saying that maintaining
order amidst the desperate situation remains crucial to getting all interested
Nigerians out of the war zone in record time before the expiration of the ceasefire,
which has been extended by 72 hours.
The Federal Government has advised general public to discountenance unverified information being
circulated on the social media as some of them are either due to ignorance or out of sheer
mischief.
The Ministries also maintained that the outcry over the negotiated sum of $1.2 million for the buses hired for
the exercise, is uncalled for.
They further informed that the amount in question, was negotiated in a condition
of war and where there are competing demands for same bus services by other
countries desperately trying to evacuate their citizens.
They therefore solicited for the cooperation and
understanding of all and sundry, to complement ongoing efforts aimed
at ensuring the safe return of every Nigerian trapped in Sudan.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria seizes 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 the 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 operation
