Sudan crisis: 10th batch of evacuees done with their documentation, confirms NiDCOM boss

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has confirmed that the tenth batch of evacuees from Sudan are already done with their documentation.

Dabiri-Erewa stated this on Wednesday morning while issuing an update on the next batch of Nigerian citizens that would be coming into the country from the war-ravaged Sudan.

“Sudan update: 10th batch of evacuees (126 in all) from Port Sudan completing their documentation,” she posted on her official Twitter account.

Meanwhile, the NiDCOM on Tuesday said that a total number of 1,730 Nigerians have returned from Sudan with the latest flight from Port Sudan bringing in 146 evacuees aboard the Tarco Airline.

The NiDCOM spokesman, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, disclosed that the flight landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 10:05 a.m. on Tuesday while giving an extensive update on the returnees so far.

He said on May 3, 102 evacuees boarded the NAF C130 and 274 boarded the Air Peace flight from the Aswan Airport.

He also said on May 5, 130 Nigerians boarded Tarco Airline, and on Saturday 131, they boarded the same airline from Port Sudan.

Also on Sunday, 102 boarded Tarco Airline from Port Sudan. He further said 410 Nigerians boarded Max Air, and 322 boarded Azman Air, both flights from Aswan Airport on Sunday.

Furthermore, he said two flights from Tarco Airline boarded 133 and 126 from Port Sudan on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. That, he said, summed up the total of 1,730.

The crisis in Sudan is now in its fourth week and has sparked an exodus of tens of thousands of Sudanese to neighbouring countries including Egypt, Chad and the Central African Republic.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands wounded since fighting erupted on April 15 between Sudan’s army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo-controlled paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.