1,350 more stranded Nigerians leave Khartoum

Another batch of 1,350 Nigerians on Sunday left the war-torn Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for Port Sudan from where they will be airlifted back home.

Port Sudan is a Sudanese city 825 kilometres from Khartoum, where planes can still land and take off despite the ongoing battle between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by two generals in a power struggle.

The Port Sudan alternative was decided upon by the Federal Government because of the difficulties faced by the first batch of 637 Nigerians at the Sudanese border with Egypt.

The first batch of evacuees is billed to fly back home from the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Chairperson of Nigerian in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, yesterday confirmed the departure of the second batch of Nigerians from Khartoum.

After clearance, those at the border with Egypt will be airlifted to Nigeria from the Abu Simbel Airport by a Nigerian Air Force C-130 plane.

The Egyptian authorities have finally agreed to open the border for Nigerians.

Nigerian Ambassador in Egypt, Nuru Rimi, confirmed that approval had been granted.

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He said: “Approval to be granted for the evacuation of Nigerians through Egypt, with stringent conditions and guidelines.

“These include details and schedule of the aircraft; and strong pledge that once our citizens depart the border, they will be conveyed directly to the designated airport.

“Others are a comprehensive list of the evacuees, with passport numbers; valid travel documents, presence of government officials at the points of embarkation and standby buses that will immediately convey them to the airport.”

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa told The Nation that there were long delays because the drivers of the 27 buses refused to move.

She said they demanded full payment, but the Federal Government has resolved the issues.

Some of the buses departed Khartoum but stopped halfway due to non-payment.

After the outstanding fees were settled, the buses could not proceed given the time and need to ensure safety.

One of the buses caught fire.

One of its tires was said to have exploded, causing a fire, but all the passengers escaped unhurt.

It was learnt that 40 out of the 50 passengers were later distributed to the other buses, while the remaining passengers spent the night where the incident happened alongside the driver.

UN food agency raises alarm

Cindy McCain, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said the UN food agency would lift a suspension of its aid mission in Sudan as the crisis in the country worsens amid ongoing violence.

McCain on Monday said that the agency would “immediately” lift a suspension of its programmes that it put in place following the death of three employees “as the crisis in #Sudan pushes millions into hunger.”

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“WFP is rapidly resuming our programs to provide the life-saving assistance that many so desperately need right now,” McCain tweeted.

The UN agency has been warning that the ongoing fighting in Sudan could plunge the entire region of East Africa into a humanitarian crisis.

Sudan’s de facto president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been fighting his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo with the help of the military since April 15. Daglo is the leader of the influential paramilitary group RSF

The two generals took over the leadership of the country of about 46 million through two military coups in 2019 and 2021.

Clashes continued over the weekend despite the calling of a 72-hour ceasefire on Thursday, with both sides accusing the other of violating the agreement.

Hundreds of people have been killed since the fighting began, including three employees of WFP.

Sudan’s warring generals have agreed to send representatives for negotiations, potentially in Saudi Arabia, a top UN official in the country, Volker Perthes, was quoted as saying.

This is as the two sides clashed in the capital despite another three-day extension of a fragile cease-fire.

If the talks come together, they would initially focus on establishing a “stable and reliable” cease-fire monitored by national and international observers, Perthes said.

Amidst very imperfect and partial ceasefires, Port Sudan is overwhelmed by people fleeing Khartoum and other places.

Many people are now sleeping rough on the streets as they wait for a way out.

Local hotels are swamped by people with passports from the world over, along with emergency consular services hastily established by embassies that have evacuated most of their staff from the capital.

Many fear there is no way out. Port Sudan is packed with people who have less lucky passports, including Yemenis, Syrians and Sudanese.

Some 3,000 Yemenis, mainly students, have been stuck for weeks in the port city.

1,350 more stranded Nigerians leave Khartoum

The Nation