By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has airlifted at least 94 citizens stranded in Sudan as a result of the war between two generals in Khartoum and Darfur.
The evacuees, flown in a NAF 913 C-130H aircraft, arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja at about 11.54pm on May 3 May 2023, the Director of Public Relations & Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa said in a statement on Thursday.
The evacuees according to NAF are among the first batch of 276 Nigerians airlifted from Aswan in the wake of the ongoing security challenges in Sudan.
The NAF effort is in furtherance of its constitutional role of aid to civil authority, and in line with the commitment by the Federal Government to rescue and successfully return back home Nigerians living in Sudan, the statement added.
“The airlift operation is most heart warming as it coincides with the NAFs 59th anniversary celebration holding in Enugu from 4-7 May 2023.
“On hand to receive the returnees on arrival were the Honourable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq; the Ministrys Permanent Secretary, Dr Nasir Sani Gwarzo; Director General National Emergency Management Agency, Ahmed Habib; and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa”, NAF added.
An armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of Sudan began on 15 April 2023.
It started when clashes broke out in western Sudan, in the capital city of Khartoum, and in the Darfur region.
Thousands of persons have been killed and more than 4,000 others had been injured.
Countries across the world are currently evacuating their citizens from the troubled country after a ceasefire was announced.
