SUDAN CONFLICT: EGYPT GIVES NIGERIA PRECEDENCE IN EVACUATION APPROVAL – NIGERIAN AMBASSADOR

Mr Nura Rimi, Nigeria's ambassador to Egypt, stated that the Egyptian government has given Nigeria top priority in obtaining evacuation authorisation for its residents fleeing Sudan.

Rimi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the feat was made possible by the friendly connections between the two countries.

The beginning of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces had stranded thousands of foreigners in the nation, including diplomats and charity workers.

However, Rimi stated that several countries preferred to evacuate their citizens through Egypt's southern region due to their trust in the country's leadership and people.

"It was not an easy decision as I said because security considerations were taken, but Nigerians were within the shortest possible time granted approval to be evacuated through Egypt.

"That's why I kept saying those conditions and guidelines that were given were in good faith because Egypt has to preserve its own national security.

"If you look at the countries around Egypt, almost all of them are in one form of crisis or the other. So, it is always necessary for countries to safeguard their territorial integrity and to make sure that they guarantee their own security because if a country is not secured then nobody will want to live in it. Even the citizens will run away and leave the country," he told NAN.

He explained that before granting assistance to countries seeking evacuation authorization, Egypt must consider the security implications.