From Victor Osula, Abuja
After weeks of playing slow motion and uncertainty over the fate of Nigerians stranded in war-torn Sudan, the Federal Government has confirmed the start of evacuation of Nigerians the North African country.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and his counterpart, Minister of State, Zubairu Dada, confirmed this on Wednesday while briefing State House Correspondents on developing events on the evacuation.
Onyeama revealed that 40 luxury buses were already on ground in Sudan to pick up Nigerian nationals in the country to Egypt, where they would be airlifted back home.
He disclosed that the evacuation efforts are being coordinated by the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan as well as authorities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Ministers added that the buses conveying Nigerians were hired at $1.2 million, noting that it also included the cost of providing security while conveying them to the Egyptian territory.
Explaining that women and children will be given priority, including diplomats who are equally involved in the evacuation logistics, they added that the Nigerian government was leveraging on the 72-hour ceasefire deal to evacuate as many Nigerians as possible.
Ambassador Dada noted that the Saudi Arabia government had already evacuated some Nigerians through the sea to safety and that once the situation calms down arrangements will be made to move them back to Nigeria.
The clash between the country’s army and its paramilitary has led to the death of many and the continued bloodshed in the country. The warring parties agreed to a temporary ceasefire to allow countries to evacuate their national. The renewed fighting which erupted in April was sparked off when forces loyal to Gen Abdel Fattai al Burham, the country’s leader, clashed with forces loyal to the paramilitaries of theRapid Support Groups loyal Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo.
