Tag: Sudan

  • New Batch Of Nigerians From Sudan Arrives Abuja Airport

    New Batch Of Nigerians From Sudan Arrives Abuja Airport

    Another batch of Nigerians has arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from Sudan.

    A total of 125 evacuees, including 22 children, landed aboard a Tarco Airline Boeing 737 from Port Sudan by 5 pm Nigerian time.

    On hand to receive them were officials of the National Management Emergency Agency (NEMA); the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).

    At the time of this report, the evacuees were being processed into the country by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service using their passports and Emergency Travel Certificates (ETCs).

    This is the first set of evacuees since President Bola Tinubu took office on May 29.

    The Federal Government, on May 14, said 160 women claiming to be Nigerians in Sudan had no passports to fly back to the country.

    The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed stated that the agency was being careful not to evacuate persons who are not Nigerians.

    Before the commencement of the evacuation exercise, the Nigerian Diaspora Commission had said there were about three million Nigerians in Sudan and a total of 5,000 students.

    However, NEMA explained that, apart from the 2,518 Nigerians that had hitherto been evacuated and 15 flights operated, the citizenship of many of those claiming to be Nigerians could not be verified.

  • Sudan Crisis: CSO Appeals To FG, States To Subsidies Pilgrims HAJJ Flight Tickets

    Sudan Crisis: CSO Appeals To FG, States To Subsidies Pilgrims HAJJ Flight Tickets

    By Jabiru Hassan, Kano.

    Independent Hajj Reporters, a civil society organization that monitors and reports Hajj and Umrah activities in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, has urged the Federal and State Governments to subsidize the differences in the prices of air tickets of Nigerian 2023 intending Hajj pilgrims.

    On Saturday, the commission has announced an increase of $250 in the flight tickets of the 2023 Hajj intending pilgrims due to the closure of Sudan airspace because of the ongoing war in the North African country.

    The 2023 Hajj fare was based on airlifting Nigerian pilgrims through Sudan airspace to Saudi Arabia, whereby flight ticket prices were calculated based on the number of flight hours to Saudi Arabia via Sudanese airspace.

    “Having paid the approved Hajj fare, we know Nigerian Muslims or Nigerian intending pilgrims would have to pay the differences in the air tickets if time permits; but we are worried that with less than 10 days to the commencement of airlift of Nigerian pilgrims to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, asking pilgrims to pay the difference at this time will definitely derail the airlift exercise.

    A statement by the national coordinator of the CSO Ibrahim Muhammad at the weekend said, “We are appealing to the Federal and State Governments to liaise with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and offer to settle the differences for the respective number of pilgrims from their states in the event that Sudan airspace remains closed before the commencement of airlift.

    “We appeal that the Federal Government takes 50 percent while States pay the balance of 50 percent for the numbers of intending pilgrims from their states.” President Muhammadu Buhari had approved Saudi-based Flynas and other Nigerian airlines including Max Air, Air Peace, Azman Air, Aero Contractors, Arik Air and Value Jet to fly Nigerian pilgrims.

    While the first five were selected to fly pilgrims from the 36 states and FCT, Arik and Value Jet were selected to offer charter services to pilgrims travelling through private tour operators. So far, only Saudi’s Flynas agreed to airlift the pilgrims at the pre–Sudan crisis air ticket price.

    Flynas is to transport 28, 515. The local airliners that demand for upward review of air tickets are Max Air with 16,326 allocation, Air Peace 11,348, Azman Air 8,660 and Aero Contractors with 7,833 leaving the fate of remaining 44, 167 States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards pilgrims in apparent uncertainty.

    The closure of the Sudanese airspace will compel airlines to fly through longer routes to Saudi Arabia which will take approximately 7 hours instead of the usual 4 hours plus. This unfortunate development has added another 2 to 3 hours flight time to the existing airlift cost template for Nigerian Intending pilgrims.

    The increase in the air tickets comes after pilgrims have completed the payment of Hajj fare as announced by NAHCON. “While we commend the Federal Government’s efforts in evacuating Nigerians who are stranded in Sudan, we appeal to the government to extend the same gesture to Nigerian intending pilgrims by subsidizing the 2023 Hajj air ticket,” the CSO said.

  • Sudan: Third Batch Of Stranded Nigerians Arrive Abuja

    Sudan: Third Batch Of Stranded Nigerians Arrive Abuja

    The third batch of Nigerian evacuees was received in Abuja from Port Sudan by Federal Government officials on Saturday.

    According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the returnees made up of 131 people, mostly women and children, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 1:45pm.

    The officials expressed optimism that the process would be successfully completed.

    Their arrival came after the second batch of Sudanese evacuees arrived in Nigeria on Friday afternoon.

    The second batch arrived at the Abuja Airport in Abuja around 3pm with about 130 persons aboard a Tarco Airline aircraft.

    Earlier on Wednesday night, the first batch of evacuees arrived in the country from the war-torn North African country.

    More Nigerians are expected to arrive in the coming days as four other airlines including Air Peace, Max Air, Azman Air, and Tarco Aviation are expected to convey them back to Nigeria.

  • Sudan: Second Batch Of Stranded Nigerians Arrives Abuja

    Sudan: Second Batch Of Stranded Nigerians Arrives Abuja

    The second batch of Sudanese evacuees have arrived in Nigeria on Friday afternoon.

    They arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja around 3 pm with about 130 persons aboard the Tarco Airline aircraft. They were 128 females and two males.

    The returnees were received by government officials and others.

    Earlier, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) tweeted about their arrival.

    It said the flight “left Port Sudan International Airport today, 5th May 2023, at 8:00 am local time, with 130 Nigerian nationals (Evacuees) 128 females and 2 males.

    “Estimated time of arrival Port Sudan (PZU) to Juba (JUB)= 2hrs 50 min. Stopover: 1 hrs in Juba JUB to ABV = 03:30 min. Total = 7hrs 30min. The flight is expected to arrive in Abuja around 2:30 pm to 3 pm.”

    The first batch of Nigerian evacuees from the war-torn North African country arrived in the country late Wednesday.

    The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Farouk; the NIDCOM Chairman/CEO, Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and the Director General of the National Management Emergency Agency (NEMA), Ahmed Mustapha, were at the airport to receive them.

  • Sudan: FG Gift N100,000 Cash, Airtime and Data To Each Nigerian Returnee

    Sudan: FG Gift N100,000 Cash, Airtime and Data To Each Nigerian Returnee

    Nigerian evacuees who returned to the country last night received the sum of N100,000 each upon their return to the country. The returnees were also handed N25,000 worth of recharge cards and 1.5 Gigabytes of data.

    The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, disclosed these at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Thursday morning, May 4.

    “Today, we are very happy to receive them. They have gone through a very traumatic period but we give thanks to Almighty Allah that all of them are back safely. No life was lost which is the most important thing. All the efforts put in place were not in vain. I thank every member of the Committee that has put all efforts to ensure that these people are brought back safely and with dignity. We thank the transport companies for their support.

    There is N100,000 that would transport them back to their families which is supported by the Dangote Foundation by giving them the transportation fare as well as the dignity kits and also 25,000 recharge cards from MTN and 1.5 GB data courtesy of MTN. All efforts have been put in place and everyone has contributed to ensuring that at least these Nigerians have some comfort when they return home.”she said

  • Sudan’s Warring Rivals Agree 72-Hour Ceasefire

    Sudan’s Warring Rivals Agree 72-Hour Ceasefire

    A ceasefire in Sudan appears to be holding after taking effect at midnight (22:00 GMT on Monday).

    It is the fourth attempt to stop the fighting which began on 15 April, with previous truces not observed.

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the 72-hour truce had been agreed between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after 48 hours of negotiations.

    At least 400 people have been killed in the hostilities.

    Both sides in the conflict independently announced their involvement in the ceasefire.

    UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned the violence in Sudan risks causing a “catastrophic conflagration” that could engulf the whole region and beyond.

    Since the violence began, residents of the battle-scarred capital Khartoum have been told to stay inside, and food and water supplies have been running low.

    The bombing has hit key infrastructure, like water pipes, meaning that some people have been forced to drink from the River Nile.

    There will be hopes the ceasefire will allow civilians to leave the city. Foreign governments will also hope it will allow for continued evacuations out of the country.

    Countries have scrambled to evacuate their diplomats and civilians as fighting raged in central, densely populated parts of the capital.

    The UK government has announced it will begin evacuating British passport holders and immediate family members from Tuesday.

    On Monday, Mr Blinken said that some convoys trying to move people out had encountered “robbery and looting”.

    The US, he added, was looking at potentially resuming its diplomatic presence in Sudan but he described the conditions there as “very challenging”.

    Sudan suffered an “internet blackout” on Sunday amid the fighting, but connectivity has since been partially restored according to monitoring group NetBlocks.

    It is estimated that tens of thousands of people, including Sudanese citizens and those from neighbouring countries, have fled because of the unrest.

    Hassan Ibrahim, 91, was among them. The retired physician lives near the main airport in Khartoum, where some of the worst fighting has taken place, but has since made the perilous journey into neighbouring Egypt with his family.

    He told the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme they had escaped being caught up in a firefight between RSF fighters and the army but that a van travelling behind them had got hit. The family then boarded a bus to the border, which took 12 hours, only for them to be met by “crowded and chaotic” scenes as people waited to be given entry.

    “There were so many families with elderly passengers, children and babies,” said Mr Ibrahim. “The Sudanese are fleeing the country – it is a sad reality.”

    Eiman ab Garga, a British-Sudanese gynaecologist who works in the UK, was visiting the capital with her children when the fighting began and has just been evacuated to Djibouti on a flight organised by France. Her hurried departure meant that she was not able to say goodbye to her ailing father, nor her mother and sister.

    “The country is dirty, there’s rubbish all over it,” she told BBC Radio 4’s World Tonight programme. “There’s sewage overflowing it smells so now we’re next going to have an outbreak of illness and disease and there won’t be a hospital to go to there.”

    “We’re just looking at death and destruction and destitution.”

    Violence broke out primarily in Khartoum, between rival military factions battling for control of Africa’s third largest country.

    This came after days of tension as members of the RSF were redeployed around the country in a move that the army saw as a threat.

    Since a 2021 coup, Sudan has been run by a council of generals, led by the two military men at the centre of this dispute – Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces and in effect the country’s president, and his deputy and leader of the RSF, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

    They have disagreed on the direction the country is going in and the proposed move towards civilian rule.

    The main sticking points are plans to include the 100,000-strong RSF into the army, and who would then lead the new force.

    Gen Dagalo has accused Gen Burhan’s government of being “radical Islamists” and that he and the RSF were “fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress for which they have so long yearned”.

    Many find this message hard to believe, given the brutal track record of the RSF.

    Gen Burhan has said he supports the idea of returning to civilian rule, but that he will only hand over power to an elected government

  • Air Peace To Evacuate Stranded Nigerians from Sudan

    Air Peace To Evacuate Stranded Nigerians from Sudan

    Air Peace, a private airline in Nigeria has disclosed its readiness to evacuate stranded Nigerians in Sudan, North-East Africa for free if the Federal Government can get them to a safe and secure airport in any of the neighbouring countries bordering Sudan.

    This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the Chairman and Chief Executive Office of the airline, Allen Onyema.

    He noted that Nigerian students and others stranded in the war-racked nation have urgent “needs our help.”

    Onyema said he is compelled to help because Nigeria cannot afford to lose her citizens in that country, adding that it would be his own commitment to making sure that the stranded Nigerians in the war-torn country are safe.

    “Again, Air Peace is willing to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan free of charge if the government can get them to a safe and secure airport in any of the neighbouring countries bordering Sudan. Everything must not be left to the government and the government alone.

    It added, “We are very ready to do it immediately. No time wasting. Any action that would promote national pride, national cohesion, peace and unity, we are for it.

    “Again, we have no apologies for believing in our nation and loving the nation despite certain national challenges. If they are moved to Kenya or Uganda or any other country, we will move in to get them out. Some parents have started calling on us to help. We are ready to do this again and again,” he said.

    In 2019, Air Peace deployed flights to evacuate Nigerians in South Africa when the xenophobic attack against Africans living in that country threatened the lives of Nigerians.

    Reports have it that the Federal Government was making preparations to evacuate about 5,500 stranded Nigerians out of Sudan through the Egyptian town of Luxor.

    It was gathered that the Federal Government was seeking Egypt’s support so that the stranded Nigerians could be moved to Luxor.

    The Director of Special Duties of the National Emergency Management Agency, who doubles as Chairman of NEMA’s Committee for the Evacuation of the Stranded Nigerians from Sudan, Dr Onimode Bandele, said the FG was meeting with government officials in Egypt on how to move Nigerians out of Sudan through Egypt.

    Bandele said this as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, said the government had concluded arrangements to evacuate 5,500 Nigerians in Sudan by road.

    According to him, Nigeria, for security reasons, will get authorisation from the Sudanese government before the evacuation.

    wasting. Any action that would promote national pride, national cohesion, peace and unity, we are for it.

    Again, we have no apologies for believing in our nation and loving the nation despite certain national challenges. If they are moved to Kenya or Uganda or any other country, we will move in to get them out. Some parents have started calling on us to help. We are ready to do this again and again,” he said.

  • Sudan: FG To Evacuate Stranded Nigerians By Road

    Sudan: FG To Evacuate Stranded Nigerians By Road

    Nigerians stranded in Sudan will be evacuated by road, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama.

    Many are stranded in the North African country following a power tussle that has resulted in a crisis. The development has led to calls for the evacuation of the nation’s citizens.

    But speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Onyeama said those stranded can’t be evacuated by air.

    “We have been given the cost estimate and all the details. They gave us a figure of 5,500 who are ready for evacuation. Obviously, what you need in a situation like this is a place where everybody can congregate before you start moving them out. Because the airports, as you pointed out in your report, it is out of commission. The only viable way out is by road.

    “But of course, it is not totally safe so you are going to require the government to provide some security and a safe corridor out.”

    He explained that “Our situation is particularly challenging because the numbers are so great. Some the countries like the US and European countries have started evacuating.

    “But what they’ve been evacuating were actually their diplomatic staff. They haven’t been able to start evacuating their citizens there. We can’t evacuate all our diplomatic staff at the moment because they need to also coordinate the evacuation of all those students that we’re talking about.”

    His comment comes as a statement from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Khartoum, signed by the Charge D’ Affairs H.Y Garko, advised students who make up about 80 percent of the stranded persons to stay indoors.

    The FG said it was still dangerous to embark on a journey toward the borders of Sudan without security clearance and guarantee from the Sudanese authorities.

    The Embassy also reassured the Nigerian students that their safety and well-being were of priority concern.

  • NLC Slams FG Over Negligence In Evacuation Of Nigerians In Sudan

    NLC Slams FG Over Negligence In Evacuation Of Nigerians In Sudan

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has slammed the Federal Government for the delay in the evacuation of Nigerian citizens trapped in Sudan amid a raging war between two major military factions.

    In a statement signed by the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, on Saturday, the union said no Nigerian must be allowed to die in Sudan because of the negligence of the Nigerian government.

    The NLC also described as unacceptable, the government’s “excuse that attempting to evacuate our nationals through the Airport is risky”.

    The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had said the authorities were experiencing challenges, particularly with regards to airlifting Nigerian nationals from Sudan.

    However, the NLC said that all options must be explored including working out a safe corridor to neighbouring countries to allow Nigerian citizens safe passage and evacuated through the various land borders.

    It also suggested that “the government work out an arrangement with the international community to create a safe haven for all foreign nationals in the country to serve as a buffer to all foreign nationals against the vagaries of the War while peace effort is being made or other safer methods of evacuation are developed.”

    “Our concern is that while our government resorts to the usual lethargy and excuses, the lives of our nationals in Sudan already exposed to serious danger may begin to experience losses or injuries. We urge the federal government through the concerned agencies and Ministries to take urgent step to avoid death and injuries to our citizens in that country,” NLC stated.

    The statement further read, “Nigerians must not be allowed to die in Sudan because of negligence. No effort should be spared in ensuring their safety and ultimately evacuation to Nigeria if the War persists and escalates into a full blown war.

    “It remains the duty of the government and we urge the federal government to make this happen unless they want to tell us that these lives are not as important as the lives of the children of those in authority and does not deserve to be protected?

    “As we await a quick and positive action towards evacuating our citizens, we would want measures to be put in place to make their lives comfortable on arrival especially for those who own businesses in the Sudan and have suffered loss of businesses as a result. It does not make sense bringing them home without putting in place proper platforms to take care of their needs here.”

    Meanwhile, the Federal Government has set up a committee to work towards rescuing Nigerian citizens trapped in Sudan due the current unrest in the North African country.

    According the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the committee, which consists of professional emergency responders, search and rescue experts, “will constantly evaluate the situation and seek for the safest way to evacuate the Nigerian citizens even if it is through a country neigboring Sudan.”

  • Sudan: FG Making Arrangements To Evacuate Students, Citizens

    Sudan: FG Making Arrangements To Evacuate Students, Citizens

    Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), says the commission is making arrangements to evacuate citizens from Sudan.

    This was contained in a statement by Mr Gabriel Odu, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM in Abuja.

    Dabiri-Erewa said the Nigerian Mission in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had put in place arrangements for the evacuation of students and citizens stranded in Sudan.

    She said that the tense situation in Sudan made it “risky and impossible for any flights to leave at this point in time”.

    The NIDCOM Boss explained that aircrafts parked at the airport were burnt down.

    She also said humanitarian groups were seeking ways of getting food, water and medical supplies across to people.

    She appealed to the warring parties to consider the Juba Peace Agreement pronounced by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

    She said the agreement was a fundamental mechanism for the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the warring country.

    Sudan’s military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday separately announced a 24-hour ceasefire but hostilities continued past the deadline.

    However, the intensity reportedly dropped significantly on Saturday morning.

    The Sudan conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of Sudan.

    It began on 15 April 2023, when clashes broke out across the country, mainly in the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region.

    Fighting has intensified around the capital’s airport, closing its airspace, and near hospitals, hampering evacuation efforts and treatment of wounded.

    Thousands have been injured. Civilians also are struggling with power outages and food shortages.

    U.N. relief efforts have also been halted.