FG ‘Working Round The Clock’ To Evacuate Nigerians In Sudan
People gather at the station to flee from Khartoum during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan April 19, 2023. REUTERS/El-Tayeb Siddig
The Federal Government has pledged to ensure the security and evacuation of Nigerians trapped in the conflict-torn Sudan and has stated that it is “working around the clock” to do so.
Geoffrey Onyeama, the minister of foreign affairs, provided the guarantee while appearing on Sunday Politics on Channels Television.
So, he said on the program, “we have been working around the clock for the last two days to try and get the Nigerians out,” adding that the embassy of Nigeria has been instructed to launch a portal to register its nationals in Sudan.
His remark coincides with a flurry of complaints and anger directed at the administration, which many claim was careless in the exodus of its inhabitants from the nation of North Africa.
Onyeama claims that the matter is not as straightforward as is being suggested.
The minister said, “The airport, as you noted in your report, is out of function, therefore the only practical route out is by road. However, it is obviously not completely secure, so you will need the government to offer some security and a secure exit route.
He estimates that there are 5,500 Nigerians living in Sudan, which worsens the problem.
He clarified that of the total, 80% are students and added that, contrary to online rumors, several nations have merely evacuated their diplomatic staff and not all of their residents.
The Sudanese government’s consent is necessary, he promised, and “we are doing everything we can to secure it.”
‘Stay Where You Are’
In essence, our current situation is attempting to secure permission from the Sudanese government to travel in this lengthy convoy and to offer some security.
He responded, “We are hoping that in the next day or two we would have got the approval from the Sudanese government to start moving people out,” when pressed for more information about when the evacuation will commence.
While waiting for the evacuation to start, federal government organizations like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) are trying to help trapped Nigerians across the nation. He told them to “stay where you are” until the evacuation started.
