FGN successfully evacuates stranded citizens from Sudan amid unrest
Nigerians in Sudan who indicated interest in leaving have all been successfully evacuated from the country’s capital, Khartoum, according to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN).
The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Sani Gwarz, disclosed this on Friday, May 5, while receiving the second batch of 130 evacuees at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The second batch of evacuees arrived at the Pilgrims Terminal of the airport at precisely 3:10 pm local time on board TARCO aircraft B373-300 from Port Sudan.
According to Gwarz, Nigerians stranded in the North African country due to the unrest have all been conveyed to the safe zones where they will be airlifted.
“I’m happy to announce that we have successfully removed everybody. Everybody that needs to be removed, has been taken out of Khartoum. None of your colleagues today are in Khartoum; all of them have moved.
“You were the first batch to move out of Khartoum and sent to the Egyptian border. We still have a few of them, while some have already arrived in Nigeria.
“Though, the majority of them will be arriving in the next eight hours or more, So by that time, no Nigerian would have been left at the Egyptian border,” he said.
According to him, almost 1,700 people are waiting to be flown to Nigeria from Egypt and Port Sudan and adequate arrangements have been made for their flight.
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He also noted that the N100,000 stipend given to the evacuees was life-saving support for those coming from a distressing situation.
“Some of you may have encountered difficulties or all of you, but it will soon be over and you will be reunited with your families and the trauma will be over.
“So, we welcome you back home and look forward to peace returning not only in Sudan but in the whole of Africa and the world at large,” he said.
It was reported that the stranded Nigerians had to be transported by road to Egyptian and Ethiopian border because of the risk of evacuating from Sudan airport.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that flight operations in Sudan were difficult and unsafe due to the tension in the country.
As disclosed by the ministry, citizens are to be first evacuated by road to the Egyptian or Ethiopian border before they are flown to Nigeria.
Recall that the first batch of Nigerians fleeing the crisis arrived in Abuja late on Wednesday, May 3.
The batch comprised a total of 376 persons and each of them received N100,000 cash for transportation to their various homes.
