Hundreds of stranded Nigerians in Sudan are expected to return to Nigeria on Wednesday, as the border issues that prevented their passage into Cairo, Egypt, have been resolved. The stranded citizens have now been permitted to enter Egypt and will be flown back to Nigeria.
The Nigerian government has been working tirelessly to negotiate with the Egyptian authorities, allowing the stranded individuals to cross the border. The Nigerian Embassy in Egypt has now successfully moved the evacuees from the Sudanese side to the Egyptian side of Arqeel.
Nigeria Airforce planes and Air Peace are prepared to airlift approximately 637 Nigerians to Abuja on Wednesday after completing the necessary documentation. The Egyptian government has insisted that only those who can be accommodated on the aircraft should be transported to Egypt.
Who are the stranded Nigerians in Sudan?
The evacuees include students and other Nigerian nationals who have been stranded in Sudan due to the ongoing conflict between rival military factions. The Nigerian government has sought to overcome the problems hampering the evacuation of around 3,000 of its nationals from Sudan.
The intervention of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari led to Egyptian authorities agreeing to let the evacuees cross the border on Monday, according to a statement from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
The evacuation plan is expected to cover more than 3,500 Nigerian nationals, with many of them being students in Sudan. The ongoing conflict in Sudan began on April 15 between two generals who have been in charge of the country since a military coup in 2021.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Smowal Abdalla
