National Emergency Management Agency to start evacuating Nigerians from Sudan tomorrow

NIGERIA'S National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) will commence the evacuation of stranded Nigerians from Sudan tomorrow with the first set of refugees moved by road from Khartoum to Cairo in Egypt.

Over the last week, Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been involved in a brutal war with more than 400 people killed so far. With heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum, foreign expatriates are fleeing but with Sudan's main international airport closed, foreign countries have ordered their citizens to simply shelter in a safe place until they can figure out evacuation plans.

Aware of how dangerous the situation is now becoming, Hon Dabiri-Erewa, the chair of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (Nidcom), is making arrangements to evacuate Nigerians from Sudan. Nigerian commercial airline Air Peace has expressed its willingness to help evacuate the country's citizens stranded in Sudan free of charge, once they can be relocated to a safe neighbouring country.

It now appears that Nema has finally put in place a plan to evacuate about 2,650 to 2,800 people first including students, embassy staff and their families. Dr Onimode Bandele, Nema's director of special duties, said this will be the first batch of evacuees.

He added: “The truth is, nobody has been evacuated yet. I just spoke to the ambassador in Khartoum some few minutes ago and the truth is that there are plans to get buses to start movement tomorrow morning and as I speak with you the Nema director-general, Mustapha Ahmed is already in Cairo because that is the window that we are looking at.

 “Our projection was both students and others, they are about 5000 but my discussion with the ambassador this morning, the plan is for about 2,650 to 2,800 to move immediately including families of embassy staff and as plans continue, the figures will be updated and the exact time of departure from Khartoum to Cairo will also be communicated. The population is worked by the number of buses and the number of buses will determine how many can move at a particular time."