The number of Nigerian students who have expressed willingness to return to the country from war-torn Sudan has risen to 1,700, but the Federal Government may have dashed their hopes of early evacuation as fighting rages in the troubled nation.
The government noted that it was challenging to evacuate stranded Nigerian people from Sudan due to the volatile environment there.
Although the Nigerian Mission in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency had put plans in place to evacuate the citizens, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, said it was impossible for any flight during this time of war.
This was contained in a statement signed by Gabriel Odu of the Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM which was sent to Africa Today News, New York on Saturday.
The statement read, “The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said while the Nigerian Mission in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency have put in place arrangements to evacuate Nigerian students and other Nigerian citizens stranded in Sudan, the tensed situation makes it gravely risky and impossible for any flights at this point in time, noting that aircrafts parked at the airport in the country were burnt yesterday (Thursday) morning.
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“Dabiri-Erewa noted that humanitarian groups are seeking ways of getting food, water and medical supplies across to people.
“She therefore appealed to the fighting parties to consider the Juba Peace Agreement enunciated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development as a fundamental mechanism for the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the country.”
Over 1,700 Nigerian students appealed to the Federal Government to evacuate them from the Republic of Sudan where a fierce military confrontation between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group, Rapid Support Force, has claimed 400 lives with 3,500 injured.
The figure is an increase from the 1,262 reported by The PUNCH on Friday as having filled the evacuation form on Wednesday night.
The clashes had also displaced thousands of civilians who fled the capital, Khartoum, even as some foreign nations, including Japan, Uganda and Tanzania, had begun evacuating their nationals as the violence, which started on April 8, entered its 13th day on Friday.
Until recently, the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel al-Burhan, and the RSF paramilitary group headed by General Mohamed Dagalo, were allies.