Nigerian students stranded by the ongoing crisis in Sudan have accused the federal government of leaving them behind in the country’s capital, Khartoum. This is just as the hopes of Nigerians stranded in Sudan returning to Nigeria on Friday were dashed, amid the controversy surrounding their evacuation from the crisis-torn country.
The government released N150m and hired 40 buses to transport desperate citizens from Sudan to Cairo, Egypt.
The money was said to have been paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria. It was made through the National Emergency Management Agency to an unnamed transport company at 12:37 on Tuesday.
The Nigerian Air Force, Air Peace and other airlines have been given permission to fly to Egypt to transport stranded Nigerians back to the country, the federal government said on Thursday.
The evacuation of 2,400 students and other Nigerians trapped by the ongoing conflict in Sudan took off on a slow start on Wednesday. Furthermore, only 15 out of the 40 buses required for the exercise were provided.
Stranded Nigerians, especially students, said the embassy had not provided any buses for evacuation as of Thursday. This is despite the ceasefire by the warring Sudanese forces,
But the President of the Association of Yoruba Student Union in Sudan, Mubarak Ahmed, said-
“Students are still here in Khartoum, stuck. The government and the embassy here in Khartoum are playing cats and dogs with our lives.
“Evacuations are still ongoing for other nationals regardless of the cease-fire. The cease-fire is not an issue but the government is not ready to evacuate us.
“One of us needs a dental intervention because he was attacked three days ago while going to get water. Two or three of his teeth were removed and bleeding profusely internally and externally.
“We could not do much because we lack first aid and hospitals are shut down. We could only stitch the injury but not pretty good and he is among those stranded till now, (he is) a student at the International University of Africa. They are just confusing everybody,” Ahmed added.
As of 6:45 pm on Friday, the President of the Nasarawa State Students Association in Sudan, Al-Ameen Ahmad, said –
“Three buses came and left because the drivers said they are yet to be paid. No food, no water, no network. I do not know who keeps telling the government that buses are available to pick up trapped students. We are suffering.”
But the spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency, Ezekiel Manzo, blamed the problem on a border issue.
“The border issue is the cause of the delay because all arrangements are in place. We are the ones that arranged for their road trip from Khartoum down to Aswan. We also have arrangements for their airlifting.
“But the problem is the border for them to cross into Egypt and that is the reason why their arrival in Abuja today (Friday) will no longer be possible. Assuming they are already in Egypt, the promised time for their arrival would still have been possible today.
“They are still at the border. So, we have to wait. I am not justifying this but these nationals are escaping from a war zone, and it is natural for the government of Egypt to tighten up its nodes around the border.
However, the Embassy of Nigeria in Sudan has made a counter statement. They stated that the second batch of the evacuation will commence on Saturday.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Charge d’ Affairs, H. Y. Garko, on Friday. Also, the first batch of evacuations took place on Wednesday.
The statement read-
“The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Sudan, wishes to inform all Nigerian citizens who wish to be evacuated from the crisis in Sudan, that the embassy will commence the second phase of evacuation to Egypt for onward airlift to Nigeria, tomorrow (today) April 29, 2023.
“All those interested are expected to converge at Al-Razi University (Al-Azhari) and the International University of Africa (Madani Street) in the morning. Individuals are required to come along with one bag only. Please, adhere strictly.”
cc: Punch Ng
