SUDAN CONFLICT: FG EXPLAINS WHY WE EVACUATED STRANDED NIGERIAN STUDENTS

The Federal Government has stated that it is awaiting assurances from the Sudanese government before withdrawing Nigerian students from Sudan.

He stated that the Federal Government does not wish to remove Nigerian people who are in danger.

Onyeama stated that the government was attempting to obtain permission from the government in order to remove Nigerians from the region via a safe corridor.

The Minister stated that the issue with the government is difficult because there are over 5,000 Nigerians in Sudan.

"I don't think we are sluggish; the countries evacuated yesterday and a day before, no government had evacuated before then. The reason is that it is not as if there was a military war against another country.

"The President and the Vice President of a country started shouting at each other. Of Course, it started getting worse and that is why countries started looking at evacuating their people. The advantage these people have, the US, Italy, and France, have is that they don't have 5,000 citizens in Sudan like Nigeria.

"Tomorrow, we could start hiring cars and buses to start moving our people out, but this would put their lives at risk. And no responsible government will do that.

"What we need at the moment, which one or two countries have done, is for the Sudanese Government to assure us that we can drive and convey our citizens to the borders of our choice. The Egyptian border or to port Sudan; the Ethiopian border is not an option because I understand the road is unsafe. So once we go there, we are ready to go.

"We are in touch with the embassy and they are in touch with a large number of Nigerian students, but we don't want to take that risk; because tomorrow, if we give the green light and there is an ambush, we will be responsible for that. The responsible thing to do is to ensure we have the full backing of the Government of Sudan," he stated.

Sudan's crisis occurred on April 16, 2023, as a result of an infighting between two Generals.

The Sudanese Army Generals, commanded by Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, RSF, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have been at odds, culminating into a grave crisis in Khartoum.

On Sunday, gunmen opened fire on a French convoy during its evacuation, according to reports.