Sudan Conflict: Federal Government charges $1.2 million for evacuation

Only 15 of the 40 buses needed for the operation were available, which delayed the Wednesday evacuation of 2,400 students and other Nigerians trapped by the ongoing fighting in Sudan.

Only 10 buses were accessible as of Wednesday morning, with an additional five buses being given later in the day, despite the Federal Government having chartered 40 buses for the return of nationals to Egypt from Khartoum and other towns.

While this was going on, Geoffrey Onyeama, the minister of foreign affairs, stated that the Federal Government had been charged $1.2 million for the removal of Nigerian nationals from Sudan.

He noted Sudan’s high cost of evacuating Nigerians as a result of the country’s insecurity.

“Evacuated Nigerians are with the Rapid Support Forces,” a student who was evacuated told Newsmen, they will accompany them to the Egyptian border.

Approximately 5,500 Nigerians, including students who were trapped in Sudan, would be evacuated starting on Wednesday, the government had announced on Tuesday.

The government approved N150 million on Tuesday through the National Emergency Management Agency in order to hire the buses that would take the citizens from Sudan to Cairo in Egypt and speed up the repatriation.

But on Wednesday afternoon, the terrified students told our correspondent that dozens of them were still stuck in Khartoum since only 15 buses had taken some of their fellow students out of Sudan, leaving the rest in limbo and in fear.

According to reports, the students’ anxiety was not unrelated to the unpredictability of the situation in Sudan and the fact that the Rapid Support Force’s and the Sudanese military’s three-day ceasefire is coming to an end on Thursday (today).

Following a ceasefire mediated by the United States to allow other countries to evacuate their citizens, the warring parties had ceased hostilities.

Despite the ceasefire, violence was reportedly taking place in several areas of the capital on Wednesday, even as a hospital was being shelled.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the army, and Mohamed Dagalo, the leader of the paramilitary RSF, are at odds about who will govern the nation. So far, more than 400 people have passed away.

Battles have also moved to Sudan’s western area of Darfur, bringing back memories of the 16-year conflict that claimed 300,000 lives and has been most fierce in the capital Khartoum.

Idris Wakama, a student at Noble College in Sudan, told The PUNCH on Wednesday morning that “10 buses have already come. Even my understanding has changed. The exodus proceeds extremely slowly. Even if some students are presently boarding the available buses, none of them will be able to transport us all, so we all need to leave Khartoum at the same time.

Onyeama explained that the high cost of the evacuation was necessary to provide security cover for the eight-hour trip from Luxor to Cairo and the eleven-hour trip from Aswan to Cairo, Egypt, shortly after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting, which was presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.), at the Council Chambers of Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

Onyeama and the Minister of State, Zubairu Dada, alternated in explaining the Federal Government’s attempts to evacuate Nigerians to safety while stressing that no Nigerian lives were lost in the violence.

Shedding light on the cost of the evacuation, Onyeama said, “It’s a lot of money. What I can tell you now is that we’re being charged $1.2m for the 40 huge transporter luxury buses made available to us to transport to the Egyptian border.

“Of course, you know because of the risks involved and so many other things. A lot of people are going to also take advantage of this. They’re going to hike up the price. You know, we saw how the French convoy was attacked. So it was difficult procuring these buses, but we had to do it because Nigerian lives matter.”

The minister added that the diplomatic staff from Nigeria stationed in Sudan should have remained on the ground to coordinate the operation rather than being evacuated on Wednesday.

“Now, our diplomats cannot be evacuated before the students and others. They have to be there to coordinate, maintain contact with the Sudanese authorities, ensure that there’s security being assured for the convoy for the journey and keep in touch with other friendly countries with whom we are coordinating.

“So, their presence is very important. Now, as regards the gender question, I think that’s obviously something we will have to look into in a bit more detail, but I think ordinarily, it will be appropriate that women and children should be given priority. That goes without saying, ” he submitted.

Speaking on the planned airlift for the evacuees, the minister stated, “I spoke to the Chief of Defence Staff and he indicated that there are some military transport planes that will be available.

“And of course, Air Peace is making the offer and there are other airlines too, that their owners might also want to make an offer, but we will leave it to NEMA to coordinate who they use to transport by air.”

The majority of the evacuees are students at the University of Khartoum, but he noted that there had been no discussion of alternate plans for them to complete their education.

When asked about plans for the education of the students whose studies have been interrupted by the conflict, the minister said “None that I’m aware of. But yes, it’s a different context. During the Russia-Ukraine war, it was evident to everybody that this is not something that was going to be solved in a year or a year and a half.

“But in this situation, we would like to think that it should not drag on beyond another one month, maximum. But of course, one never knows. Then we’ll now begin to see how we can have alternative arrangements for the education of the students.”

He asserted that despite the Federal Government’s desire to use the 72-hour ceasefire to evacuate stranded Nigerians, the operation will not be hindered even after the ceasefire expires due to the existing understanding between Nigeria and the combatants.

The minister also disclosed that there were other ways for Nigerians to leave the country except by bus.

He claimed that the Saudi authorities had securely transferred some Nigerians to Jeddah, from which they would shortly depart for home.

Dada said “Let me also add that some Nigerians have actually been evacuated by ship from Port Sudan by the government of Saudi Arabia. Don’t forget this is a joint effort. I mean we have friendly nations that are ready to assist so that we have it on record that the Saudi authorities have been able to pick up some Nigerians, they’re transporting them by ship to Jeddah from where we’ll link up and find a way of bringing them back from Jeddah.”