‘Nigeria working to get its nationals out of Sudan,’ says foreign affairs minister, Onyeama

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said on Sunday the Federal Government was working “round the clock” to evacuate Nigerians trapped in the conflict-torn Sudan.

The minister stated this when he featured in a Channels Television’s programme, Sunday Politics.

He said the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan has been directed to open a platform to register the nation’s citizens in the country.

The federal government on Saturday set up a committee to rescue Nigerians trapped in the North African country.

Onyeama said: “So, we have been working round the clock for the last two days to try and get the Nigerians out.”

The minister’s assurance followed criticism from Nigerians on the government’s poor handling of the evacuation of the country’s nationals trapped in Sudan.

READ ALSO:Nigerian govt sets up committee to rescue nationals in Sudan

However, Onyeama insisted that the matter is not as straightforward as is being suggested in the country.

“Because the airport as you pointed out in your report is out of commission, the only viable way out is by road,” the minister added.

He also put the number of Nigerians in Sudan at 5, 500.

At least 413 people had been killed and more than 3,500 injured since the fighting began between military units loyal to Sudanese President, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his estranged deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, last week.

The United States, Britain, France, and China on Saturday began the evacuation of their nationals from the capital Khartoum after the Sudanese army agreed to the evacuation of citizens and diplomatic representatives from the country.

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