THE second batch of Nigerians being evacuated from Sudan have commenced boarding at the Port Sudan International Airport.
Head of Media Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Adur-Rahman Balogun disclosed this on Friday, May 5.
“Today, Friday May 5, 2023, we are expecting arrivals from Aswan (Azman and Max Air) and Taco Aviation from Port Sudan.
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“Boarding has commenced in Port Sudan. Insha Allah. More details later,” Balogun noted.
Earlier, Balogun told The ICIR during a Twitter space held on Thursday May 4, that the students were expected back in Nigeria on Friday.
The first batch of Nigerians fleeing the crisis in Sudan arrived Abuja late on Wednesday, May 3, and received N100,000 cash, each, for transportation to their various homes.
They were also provided with dignity kits, N25,000 recharge cards and 1.5 GB data from MTN.
A total of 376 students landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja on Wednesday.
The evacuation had taken longer than expected, due to the inability of the Nigerian government to airlift citizens directly out of Sudan, as the warring parties failed to heed calls for a ceasefire.
As a result, the government contracted bus operators in Sudan, and on Wednesday, April 26, the Nigerians embarked on the journey from Khartoum, the Sudan capital, to Egypt by road.
The students arrived at the Egyptian border on Thursday, April 27, hoping to proceed to the Aswan airport, from where they would be airlifted to Nigeria.
However, they were denied access to the country for several days by the Egyptian authorities, who demanded visa processing fees before the borders could be opened. They remained at the border for at least four days.
The Egyptian authorities eventually opened up the border with stringent conditions attached.
However, the hassles encountered at the border led Nigerian authorities to consider Port Sudan as an alternative route.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.
