The Nigerian government has announced the formation of a committee to work towards evacuating Nigerians trapped in the war-torn Sudan, News About Nigeria reports.
The announcement was made in a statement by Manzo Ezekiel, Head of the Press Unit of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
According to the statement, the evacuation of Nigerians in the war-torn Sudan is currently not possible due to the ongoing crisis.
The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had previously expressed concerns about the challenges faced by the authorities in airlifting Nigerian nationals out of the troubled country.
However, the newly formed committee, comprising professional emergency responders and search and rescue experts, will constantly evaluate the situation and seek the safest way to evacuate Nigerian citizens, even if it is through a neighboring country.
Over 4,000 Nigerians are reportedly trapped in Sudan, which has been plagued by violence and conflict between the forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The conflict has claimed the lives of over 300 people, and many Nigerians have been pleading for evacuation to escape the violence.
NEMA’s statement reiterated that the current emergency situation in Sudan is complex, with fighting between warring factions and all airports and land borders closed.
However, the agency is working with all relevant partners, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, and security agencies, to seek an appropriate window of opportunity to evacuate all stranded Nigerians back home in a safe and dignified manner.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, expressed the agency’s concern and promised to explore all possible options to bring stranded Nigerians back home safely and with dignity.
