By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
The federal government says it will commence evacuation of the second batch of Nigerians stranded in Sudan on Saturday 29th April 2023.
This was disclosed in a joint statement issued by the Federal Ministry of foreign affairs and the Ministry for humanitarian affairs and Disaster Management on Saturday in Abuja.
“The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Sudan wishes to inform all Nigerian citizens who wish to be evacuated from the crisis in Sudan that the embassy will commence the 2nd phase of the evacuation to Egypt for onward airlift to Nigeria, tomorrow, April 29, 2023.
“All this interested are expected to converge at Al-Razi University (Al-Azhari), and International University (Madani Street) in the morning.
“Individuals are required to come along with one bag only. Please, adhere strictly, ” the statement said.
According to the statement, the first batch of 13 buses conveying 637 evacuees were currently at the Egyptian border of Aswan where they are being documented for onward passage into Egypt after which they will return to Nigeria.
The statement said that the Nigerian Air Force and Air Peace airline were on standby for the evacuees in Aswan to airlift them into Nigeria in the coming hours.
It allayed fears that the Nigerian embassy staff had neglected Nigerians in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital as reported on social media.
“While the federal government emphasizes with affected Nigerians, 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, “
Reacting to the public outcry over the $1.2 million paid for the buses by the federal government to evacuate stranded Nigerians, the statement said that the amount was negotiated at a time of war, coupled with competing demands for the buses.
“The outcry over the negotiated sum of $1.2 million for the buses hired is uncalled for. The amount in question was negotiated in a condition of war and where there are competing demands for these buses by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens, ” it said.
