This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday by Manzo Ezekiel, Head of the Press Unit of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The Nigerian government has announced that it has set up a committee to work towards evacuating Nigerians trapped in the crisis-savaged Sudan.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday by Manzo Ezekiel, Head of the Press Unit of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Nigerian government said the evacuation of Nigerians in the war-ravaged Sudan was not possible at the moment.
Over 4000 trapped Nigerians in the ongoing crisis in Sudan have been begging to be evacuated as over 300 people have been killed since the fighting erupted Saturday between 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).
Recall that the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa had also in Twitter posts noted that the authorities were experiencing challenges, particularly with regard to airlifting Nigerian nationals out of the troubled country.
But NEMA in the statement said that the committee, which consists of professional emergency responders, search and rescue experts, “Will constantly evaluate the situation and seek for the safest way to evacuate the Nigerian citizens even if it is through a country neigboring Sudan.”
NEMA stated that it is in “constant communication with all relevant partners including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and security agencies while seeking for an appropriate window of opportunity to evacuate all stranded Nigerians back home in a safe and dignified manner.”
According to the agency, the current emergency situation in Sudan is very complex with fighting between warring factions going on and all airports and land borders closed, but it noted that it is working with all its partners and is constantly compiling updated information on the situation.
The Director-General of the emergency agency, Mustapha Ahmed, further noted that NEMA was very much concerned and was working on all possible options of bringing the stranded Nigerians back home to their loved ones in a safe and dignified manner.