The first batch of 1,600 Nigerians evacuated from Sudan are expected to arrive in Abuja on Friday, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.
Officially, there are about 5,500 Nigerian students who are expected to arrive from Sudan in the evacuation that commenced on Wednesday.
“A convoy of 13 buses conveying the first batch of the evacuees from Khartoum in Sudan is moving to the holding area in Aswan, Egypt where they will be airlifted to Nigeria. NEMA is in touch with the Nigerian airline, Air Peace, that volunteers the airlift and prepositioned aircraft for immediate departure as soon as the Nigerians arrive Aswan to bring them home,” NEMA tweeted.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama, confirmed the arrival of the buses in Aswan to PREMIUM TIMES.
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A joint memo by the ministries of foreign affairs and humanitarian affairs said the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Peace and other airlines had received clearance to fly to Egypt.
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“The NAF C-130H is scheduled to leave Abuja tomorrow, 28th April, 2023 to commence the airlifting of the evacuees,” NEMA added.
Bus companies were engaged in transporting the evacuees from Sudan to Aswan, Egypt, accompanied by staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan, according to NEMA.
NEMA added that there are lots of challenges to overcome in Sudan due to the “volatile security.” It appealed to Nigerians to be calm and cooperate with officials that are helping to move our brothers and sisters to safety and eventually airlift them back home.
It said situation reports will be constantly compiled and shared with partners to ensure a hitch-free operation.
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