Sudan conflict: FG to evacuate citizens when safely possible to do so – NIDCOM boss, Abike Dabiri Erewa; Planes burnt, airspace closed
By Temitope Ponle
Abuja, April 22, 2023
Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), says the Federal Government is making arrangements to evacuate Nigerians from Sudan, which is presently in crisis.
She, however, explained that it is impossible for any flights to enter or leave the country at this time.
This is contained in a statement by Mr. Gabriel Odu, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM in Abuja.
Dabiri-Erewa said the Nigerian Mission in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had put in place arrangements for evacuation of students and citizens stranded in Sudan.
She said that the tense situation in Sudan made it “risky and impossible for any flights at this point in time”.
According to her, aircrafts parked at the airport were burnt.
She also said humanitarian groups were seeking ways of getting food, water and medicals across to people.
She appealed to the warring parties to consider the Juba Peace Agreement pronounced by Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
She said the agreement was a fundamental mechanism for the restoration of peace and tranquility in the country.
The agreement is a step in the Sudanese peace process that aims to achieve stability and peace in Sudan after decades of multiple civil conflicts, which have killed more than 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million.
Sudan’s military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday separately announced a 24-hour ceasefire but hostilities continued past the deadline.
However, the intensity reportedly dropped significantly on Saturday morning.
The Sudan conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of Sudan.
It began on 15 April 2023, when clashes broke out across the country, mainly in the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region.
Fighting has intensified around the capital’s airport, closing its airspace, and near hospitals, hampering evacuation efforts and treatment of the wounded.
Thousands have been injured. Civilians also are struggling with power outages and food shortages.
U.N. relief efforts have also been halted.
