According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the first batch of 1,600 Nigerians who were airlifted from Sudan will reach Abuja on Friday. The overall evacuation, which began on Wednesday, aims to bring back roughly 5,500 Nigerian students from Sudan.
“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. The arrival of the buses in Aswan was confirmed by Geoffery Onyeama, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. According to a memo jointly issued by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Peace, and other airlines were authorized to fly to Egypt. “The NAF C-130H is scheduled to leave Abuja tomorrow, 28th April, 2023 to commence the airlifting of the evacuees,” NEMA added. According to NEMA, the “volatile security” situation in Sudan presents numerous challenges that must be overcome. As a result, it has urged Nigerians to remain calm and collaborate with officials who are working to relocate our fellow citizens to a safe location and ultimately repatriate them back home.
