New Telegraph

Sudan Crisis: Nigerian Students Await FG Decision As Army Allows Evacuation 

Following the continued delay of the evacuation of Nigerian Students trapped in the Sudan war by the Federal Government, the De Facto President and Commander-In-Chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday gave a nod to evacuate international students.

New Telegraph had on Friday reported that the Nigerian government said it was unfeasible to clear the students as a result of bombings in some airports in the troubled nation.

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, “The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), said while the Nigerian Mission in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), have put in place arrangements to evacuate Nigerian students and other Nigerian citizens stranded in Sudan, the tensed situation makes it gravely risky and impossible for any flights at this point in time.

The NIDOM boss, however, noted that aircraft parked at the Airport in the country were burnt yesterday morning.”

However, the students will be hoping the government may change its decision following the latest development.

The army spokesman said in a statement on Saturday that the United States, Britain, France and China would begin evacuating from the capital Khartoum “in the coming hours” using military transport aircraft.

Al-Burhan has pledged to “facilitate and guarantee” the evacuation and to provide the countries with “the necessary support to ensure this,” the spokesman said.

A Saudi Arabian delegation has already been evacuated from the eastern city of Port Sudan, he said, adding that a Jordanian delegation was also to be flown out of Port Sudan later on Saturday.

He further explains on the Arabic Television Station Al-Arabiya that, The army was in control of all airports in the country except those in Khartoum and the town of Njala in the South Darfur region.

The country’s de facto president said he remained in control of the army and would only let his rival and former deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, the leader of the powerful paramilitary group RSF, get away “in a coffin.”

Fighting broke out in Sudan about a week ago between the country’s two most powerful generals and their respective military units.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 413 people have lost their lives and more than 3,500 have been injured since the fighting began.

The airport in the capital Khartoum has been at the centre of the fighting and was therefore inaccessible. Diplomats have been trying for days to secure a resilient ceasefire for the evacuation of foreign citizens.

After a brief ceasefire on Friday due to the Muslim Eid al-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of Ramadan, fighting continued overnight.

On Saturday morning, Khartoum was bombed again, a reporter at the scene told dpa. Shots rang out in the city, and eyewitnesses writing on Twitter reported explosions in the capital.

The ceasefire largely held during the night, the reporter said. There were only “sporadic clashes.”

The US embassy in Khartoum said on Saturday that the ongoing fighting and closure of the airport in the capital made it currently impossible to evacuate U.S. citizens.

The embassy continues to closely monitor the situation in Khartoum and surrounding areas, it said in a statement.

Apart from the fighting between the rival forces, there are currently reports of attacks, home invasions and looting.

In addition, the embassy has received incomplete information about convoys travelling from Khartoum towards Port Sudan, it said.

It added that it was not in a position to support convoys, meaning passengers travelled at their own risk, according to the statement.

According to the German Defence Ministry, the country’s armed forces, or Bundeswehr, are preparing for a new attempt to evacuate German citizens.

On Wednesday, an attempt at a diplomatic evacuation with air force planes had been aborted.

 

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