‘They burnt all aircraft in airport today’: FG rules out airlift of trapped Nigerians in Sudan

The Federal Government says it was no longer considering airlift of Nigerians stranded in Sudan following the outbreak of war in the country.

Chairman/Chief Executive of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who made this known in a tweet on Friday, said any flight from Sudan would be a great risk.

She, however, assured that the National Emergency Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian embassy in Sudan are doing everything possible to ensure the safe return of Nigerians, adding that all aircraft in the war-torn country’s main airport were burnt on Friday as a result of heavy fighting.

Her words : “Update on Nigerians in Sudan: While @nemanigeria and the Nigerian Mission in Sudan have put in place necessary arrangements, any flight now is gravely risky. Airlines on ground at the airport were all burnt today , there is a curfew in place and no flights can operate.

“Humanitarian groups are making efforts to distribute food, water, medicals, while all efforts are being put in place to hopefully get the warring parties to ceasefire. Our thoughts and prayers are with our citizens there , and the whole country.”

NEWS FLASH reports that thousands of Nigerians, especially students, are stranded in Sudan following the outbreak of war in the country.

Sudan faces a weekend of intensified violence after last-minute efforts to impose a ceasefire before the end of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr and bring a close to almost a week of fighting in Khartoum failed.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have now spent almost a week trapped in their homes in the capital, under constant bombardment with dwindling supplies of food and limited power.