According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the first batch of 1,600 Nigerians who were airlifted from Sudan will arrive in Abuja on Friday. The evacuation process, which began on Wednesday, aims to bring back approximately 5,500 Nigerian students from Sudan, where they have been facing challenges due to the volatile security situation in the country.
NEMA announced that a convoy of 13 buses has transported the first batch of evacuees from Khartoum in Sudan to the holding area in Aswan, Egypt. From there, they will be airlifted to Nigeria by Air Peace, a Nigerian airline that volunteered to provide the airlift and prepositioned aircraft for immediate departure as soon as the Nigerians arrive in Aswan.
The arrival of the buses in Aswan was confirmed by Geoffery Onyeama, Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs. A memo jointly issued by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs authorized the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Peace, and other airlines to fly to Egypt.
NEMA stated that the NAF C-130H is scheduled to leave Abuja on April 28, 2023, to commence the airlifting of the evacuees from Aswan. The evacuation process faces numerous challenges due to the volatile security situation in Sudan, which NEMA emphasized. Therefore, it urged Nigerians to remain calm and collaborate with officials who are working to relocate their fellow citizens to a safe location and ultimately repatriate them back home.
