First batch of Nigerians evacuated from Sudan as about 3,500 students are bused to Egypt

ABOUT 3,500 Nigerians mainly students have been evacuated from Sudan to neighbouring Egypt ahead of plans to fly them home in what is the first batch of refugees being repatriated from the war-torn North African country.

Over the fortnight, 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), has made 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.

Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) has now begun evacuating students from Sudan to neighbouring Egypt as a fragile ceasefire allowed foreigners to flee. They are being transported overland between Khartoum in Sudan and to Aswan in Egypt, in what is a distance of 950 km.

Nema spokesman Manzo Ezekiel, said: “The evacuation of our citizens has commenced. Seven buses have left Khartoum and they are heading to Egypt.”

Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria's foreign minister, said 40 buses have been hired to transport Nigerian citizens to Egypt, although the trip from Khartoum will take time. He added that Nigerian military cargo planes and private airline Air Peace will fly the citizens back to Nigeria from Egypt.

Mr Onyeama added: “The distance is quite considerable. We need a couple of days to evacuate everybody.”

Officials said there are more than 5,000 Nigerians in Sudan and according to Onimode Bandele, the Nema special duties director, officials including embassy staff were at the collection centre to assist with the process. He added that the government had taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the Nigerians.

Since fighting erupted, at least 459 people have been killed and more than 4,000 wounded, according to UN agencies, which also reported Sudanese civilians fleeing to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. Ghana said it has evacuated 82 of its nationals, including three footballers and two others working for an Australian mining company in Sudan.