Why Government can't evacuate Nigerians entangled in Sudan

 

The Federal Government of Nigeria announced that the evacuation of Nigerians in Sudan is not feasible at this time. The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said Friday evening on Twitter that efforts had been put in place by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Mission in Sudan. More than 180 people have been killed and about 1,800 injured in three days of fighting between the rival factions in Sudan. 

She however noted that the authorities were experiencing challenges, particularly with regard to airlifting Nigerian nationals out of the troubled country. “While @nemanigeria and the Nigerian Mission in Sudan have put in place necessary arrangements, any flight now is gravely risky,” Dabiri-Erewa tweeted. “Airlines on ground at the airport were all burnt today, there is a curfew in place and no flights can operate.”

The NIDCOM boss added that humanitarian groups were making efforts to distribute food, water, and medicals, while all efforts were being put in place to hopefully get the warring parties to ceasefire.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with our citizens there, and the whole country,” she said.

The conflicts are part of a power struggle between army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the head of the RSF group, General Mohamed Hamdan .

Meanwhile, The National Association of Nigerian Students in Sudan (NANSS) has appealed to the federal government for the evacuation of its members.

President Joe Biden said Saturday that the U.S. military had completed the evacuation of U.S. embassy personnel in Sudan, and called for end to “unconscionable” violence .