Sudan crisis: 350 Nigerian evacuees airlifted from Egypt

We must act now to avoid deeper humanitarian catastrophe, says IOM chief
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has said 350 stranded Nigerians fleeing the crisis in Sudan arrived at the Aswan Airport in Egypt for airlift to Nigeria.

The evacuees were being expected in Abuja as of yesterday evening.

According to a statement by NIDCOM, yesterday, the evacuees would be airlifted by NAF C130 and Air Peace. It noted that 80 passengers would board the C130 while Air Peace would airlift 274 passengers.

Checking-in of the evacuees commenced, following normal airport protocols. And they were expected to land in Nigeria at approximately six hours from the time of departure. Parents of the stranded citizens were also expected to receive them at the Abuja airport, alongside some government officials.

Meanwhile, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the already difficult humanitarian situation in Sudan has been further exacerbated by heavy and uninterrupted fighting for more than two weeks.

According to the United Nations (UN) agency, over 334,053 people (66,811 households) are estimated to have been internally displaced, with 72 per cent of that caseload being in West and South Darfur states.

Before the crisis, Sudan already had 3.7 million displaced people in the country. Also, more than 115,000 individuals have crossed into neighbouring countries.

Vulnerable people are unable to leave worst hit areas and millions are still trapped amid soaring food and transportation prices, lack of cash and access to healthcare, supplies and critical services.

In a statement, yesterday, IOM Director General, Antonio Vitorino, said: “With Sudan on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe, I reiterate UN calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, so that we can reach those most affected.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to this crisis. It is imperative that we – as UN agencies, donors, individuals, as well as governments – collectively act and support the people of Sudan and neighbouring countries.

“The deteriorating situation has been marked by increasing civilian deaths, destruction of health, water and communication facilities, shortage of supplies and poor conditions at overwhelmed border points, as people flee the fighting.”

The statement adds: “IOM is working with partners on an inter-agency and coordinated response plan and appeal, to enable the scale up needed to respond to the rising needs of Sudanese and third county nationals and returnees. IOM’s Crisis Response Plans for Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic remain severely underfunded.

“So far, the organisation has set up six warehouses across five states in Sudan and has more than 10,000 core relief kits prepositioned across Sudan. Our teams are assessing delivery capacities and options for setting up additional supplies in and around Port Sudan.”

“Let me be clear. We have not and will not abandon Sudan. IOM works as part of the core UN team in Port Sudan and has set up a crisis response team in Nairobi, with readiness to deploy into Sudan as soon as possible.”