The Federal Government has said that 637 Nigerian evacuated from war torn Sudan have arrived safely at Aswan, a border town in Egypt.
The evacuees who were earlier stranded at the borders are currently undergoing necessary documentation and clearance before admission into the Egyptian territory for their eventual evacuation to Nigeria.
In a statement jointly issued on Saturday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development on the evacuation, Sunday Telegraph learnt this first batch of evacuees arrived in 13 buses.
The statement which was jointly signed by Amb. Janet Olisa, and Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo said while the Federal Government empathizes with the evacuees affected Nigerians over the unfortunate situation, the government remained committed to getting all interested Nigerians out of the war zone before the expiration of the ceasefire, which has been extended by 72 hours.
According to the government, the cooperation and understanding of all and sundry is required to complement ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring the safe return of every Nigerian trapped in Sudan.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria seizes this opportunity to extend appreciation to friendly countries who have in one way or the other assisted in bringing succour to Nigerians fleeing the war in Sudan. Particularly, Nigeria acknowledges the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for graciously assisting with the evacuation of eight Nigerians from Sudan to safety in its territory, from where they would be airlifted back to Nigeria.
In the time being, the first batch of Nigerian evacuees who have arrived Aswan are expected to be airlifted to Nigeria in the coming hours by the Nigerian Air Force and Air Peace airline, who have been on standby for the operations,” the statement read.
