According to Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigerians stranded in Sudan will soon be evacuated by road due to the ongoing power tussle in the North African country. The crisis has left many Nigerians stranded, prompting calls for their evacuation.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Onyeama revealed that the cost estimate for the evacuation of the 5,500 stranded Nigerians had been given, and that the only viable way out was by road. However, he noted that the process would require government-provided security and a safe corridor.
The situation is particularly challenging for Nigeria because of the large number of its citizens stranded in Sudan. Other countries such as the US and European nations have started evacuating their citizens, but have only been able to evacuate diplomatic staff so far. For Nigeria, the priority is to coordinate the evacuation of all students stranded in Sudan.
In a statement from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Khartoum, signed by the Charge D’ Affairs H.Y Garko, students who make up about 80% of the stranded persons were advised to stay indoors. The embassy reassured them that their safety and well-being remained the priority concern of the Nigerian government. The embassy also emphasized that it was still unsafe to embark on a journey toward the Sudanese borders without security clearance and guarantee from the authorities.