Some Nigerian students escaping the unrest in Sudan are currently trapped in the desert.
Following the three-day ceasefire declared by
the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Force, countries have been
making efforts to evacuate their citizens.
On Wednesday, the Nigerian government had
said N150m was released for hiring 40 buses to convey some Nigerians from Sudan
to Cairo in Egypt, from where they would be airlifted to Nigeria.
But some of the students being evacuated to
safety shared bitter experiences about the journey.
An affected student, who did not disclose her
identity, said the drivers have vowed not to continue the journey owing to lack
of funds.
“Before we started this journey, we
experienced different things. Can you believe that we have been stuck in this
desert for 5 hours. We don’t know the situation we are in.
“We don’t have water. Our money has finished.
Can you imagine? The drivers said they are not moving their buses because they
have not been paid. We are stuck in the desert. We don’t have anything. We
don’t even know where we are. We are in an unknown location and in a very big
danger.”
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians
in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), had confirmed that the evacuation had begun.
Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, and Zubairu Dada, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, had said they
wanted to utilise the 72-hour ceasefire to evacuate as many Nigerians in Sudan
as possible.
About 5,500 Nigerians, including students,
were stranded in Khartoum and other cities of Sudan as a result of the
conflict.
Clashes broke out between erstwhile allies,
General Abdel al-Burha, who heads the Sudanese Armed Forces and leader of the
RSF paramilitary group, General Mohamed Dagalo, over a power-sharing
disagreement.
The conflict had so far claimed about 500
lives with thousands of others injured and millions displaced.
Foreigners are also fleeing Khartoum in a
long-United Nations convoy, while millions of frightened residents hunkered
down inside their homes, many running low on water and food.
Dada said the Director General of the National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and staff of the Nigerian commission in
Egypt and Ethiopia are currently on the ground in the Egyptian border in Aswan
to receive close to 40 luxury buses conveying Nigerians who had left the
Sudanese capital, Khartoum by road.
The Federal Government had not reacted to the
latest development as of the time of filing this report.
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