According to Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigerians who are stranded in Sudan would be evacuated by road.
The situation in the East African nation is leaving many stuck after a struggle for control. The situation has prompted demands for the nation’s citizens to leave.
Onyeama asserted that air evacuation is not an option for individuals who are trapped while speaking on Sunday.
“We have been given the cost estimate and all the details. They gave us a figure of 5,500 who are ready for evacuation. Obviously, what you need in a situation like this is a place where everybody can congregate before you start moving them out. Because the airports, as you pointed out in your report, it is out of commission. The only viable way out is by road.
“But of course, it is not totally safe so you are going to require the government to provide some security and a safe corridor out.”
He explained that “Our situation is particularly challenging because the numbers are so great. Some the countries like the US and European countries have started evacuating.
“But what they’ve been evacuating were actually their diplomatic staff. They haven’t been able to start evacuating their citizens there. We can’t evacuate all our diplomatic staff at the moment because they need to also coordinate the evacuation of all those students that we’re talking about.”
In a statement issued by the Federal Republic of Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum and signed by Charge d’Affaires H.Y. Garko, the ambassador urged students, who make up around 80% of those trapped, to stay indoors.
Without a security clearance and guarantee from the Sudanese authorities, the government claimed it was still risky to travel toward the Sudanese border.
Additionally, the Embassy assured the Nigerian students that their security and welfare were top priorities.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Government has insisted that Nigerian students in Sudan should remain indoors while it continues making arrangements for their safe evacuation from the troubled country.
A statement from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Khartoum, signed by the Charge D’ Affairs, H.Y Garko, advised the students to disregard the notice circulated by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Sudan, calling on students to converge at the African International University, NANSS office, and El-Razi University, for evacuation or to bring $100 or $200 for evacuation.