People prepare to board a bus departing from Khartoum in the Sudanese capital’s south on April 24, 2023, as battles rage in the city between the army and paramilitaries. (Photo by – / AFP)
The Nigerian Federal Government has spent $1.2 million to evacuate over 2,400 stranded Nigerians from Sudan. This was revealed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who disclosed that the high cost of the evacuation was due to the need for security cover for the eight-hour journey from Luxor to Cairo and the eleven-hour trip from Aswan to Cairo, Egypt.
The evacuation was necessary due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, although the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces had agreed to halt hostilities at midnight on Monday. Local media, however, reported that fighting resumed, with a hospital being shelled on Wednesday.
Onyeama stated that no Nigerian lost their lives in the conflict, but there were no plans for continued education for the evacuees, most of whom are students of the University of Khartoum.
The evacuation was initially planned for Tuesday, but it failed due to logistic challenges. The Chairperson of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, confirmed that the new travel plans were finalized on Tuesday night. At least 40 buses were sent to move the Nigerians out of Khartoum and other troubled parts of Sudan early on Wednesday.
More buses were expected to arrive, and the stranded students were scheduled to depart for Nigeria on Wednesday. The Nigerian Embassy in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were responsible for the evacuation.
