Sudan Crisis: FG spent N560m To Evacuate Nigerians to Egypt

The Federal Government says it has spent $1.2 million (about N560 million) to fly stranded Nigerians in Sudan to safe locations.

According to the government, no Nigerians have died in the conflict between opposing military forces in Sudan till date.

President Muhammadu Buhari during the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, revealed these while feilding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja.

He said, “We are confident we shall not lose any life in this exercise to evacuate stranded Nigerians.”

Dada said the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and staff of the Nigerian commission in Egypt and Ethiopia are currently on the ground in the Egyptian border in Aswan to receive close to 40 luxury buses conveying Nigerians who had left the Sudanese capital, Khartoum by road.

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He added that the Saudi Arabia government had already evacuated some Nigerians through the sea, a development he noted was highly appreciated by the federal government.

While speaking, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the process started after the federal government had overcome some challenges, adding that it would take a couple of days to evacuate stranded Nigerians.

He said the sum of $1.2 million had been spent so far on the current effort to move them by road.

Onyeama said once they were safely moved to Egypt, other arrangements would be effected to airlift them back to Nigeria.

Both Ministers said women and children would be given priority before diplomats who were equally involved in the evacuation logistics.

They said the Nigerian government was leveraging the 72 hours cease fire window given by the Sudanese government to evacuate as many Nigerians as possible.

He added that the Saudi Arabia government had already evacuated some Nigerians through the sea, a development he noted was highly appreciated by the federal government.

While speaking, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the process started after the federal government had overcome some challenges, adding that it would take a couple of days to evacuate stranded Nigerians.

He said the sum of $1.2 million had been spent so far on the current effort to move them by road.

Onyeama said once they were safely moved to Egypt, other arrangements would be effected to airlift them back to Nigeria.

Both Ministers said women and children would be given priority before diplomats who were equally involved in the evacuation logistics.

They said the Nigerian government was leveraging the 72 hours cease fire window given by the Sudanese government to evacuate as many Nigerians as possible.