He said that the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and staff of the Nigerian commission in Egypt and Ethiopia were on the ground in Aswan, Egypt to receive close to 40 luxury buses conveying Nigerians who had left the Sudanese capital, Khartoum by road.
Dada added that Saudi Arabia had already evacuated some Nigerians through the sea, a development he noted was highly appreciated by the federal government. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, also stated that the evacuation process started after the federal government had overcome some challenges, adding that it would take a few days to evacuate stranded Nigerians.
According to Onyeama, $1.2 million had been spent so far on the current effort to move the stranded Nigerians by road, and once they were safely moved to Egypt, other arrangements would be made to airlift them back to Nigeria. The ministers assured that women and children would be given priority before diplomats who were equally involved in the evacuation logistics.
They also noted that the Nigerian government was leveraging the 72-hour ceasefire window given by the Sudanese government to evacuate as many Nigerians as possible.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has expressed deep concern over the situation in Sudan and condemned the use of force against civilians, urging the Sudanese authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations and respect human rights. The Security Council also called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and engage in meaningful dialogue to address the root causes of the crisis.
The United States and European Union have also called for an immediate end to the violence and urged the Sudanese government to respect the right to peaceful protest. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has announced that the US is imposing targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for the violence in Sudan. Blinken added that the US is working with other countries to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the crisis.
The African Union has also expressed concern over the situation in Sudan and called for an immediate end to the violence. The AU has urged all parties to engage in constructive dialogue to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. The AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Smail Chergui, has called on the international community to support Sudan in its efforts to restore peace and stability.