Sudan: FG asks trapped citizens to ‘remain indoors,’ as Sudanese, diplomats flee country

Federal Government has asked Nigerians still trapped in the war-stricken Sudan to stay indoors pending when rescue efforts will be concluded to evacuate them from the East African nation engulfed in conflict between two armed forces battling to control the country since last week.

There are about 4, 000 Nigerians resident in Sudan including students who have already dispatched an appeal to the Nigerian government through their National Association of Nigerian Students in Sudan for possible evacuation of its members, especially those in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.

This is even as Sudan’s Health ministry reported 20 hospitals as no longer functional and 12 others at risk due to lack of medical supplies and health care workers

More than 420 deaths and 3700 injuries have been reported by the Federal Ministry of Health since the escalation of violence erupted in Sudan on 15 April – but paramedics, frontline nurses and doctors are often unable to access injured civilians, because of insecurity and attacks on ambulances and health facilities.

This is further as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) disclosed, Sunday, that it has set up a committee ‘comprising professional emergency responders, search and rescue experts to constantly evaluate the situation and seek for the safest way to evacuate the Nigerian citizens even if it is through a country neigbouring Sudan.’

NEMA, in a statement, last weekend, also disclosed that it ‘is in constant communication with all relevant partners including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and security agencies while seeking for an appropriate window of opportunity to evacuate all stranded Nigerians back home in a safe and dignified manner.’

Similarly, other Nigerians have raised concerns over the plight of stranded Nigerians in the country with the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Dr Peter Obi reminding the Federal Government, last Sunday, of its ‘statutory responsibility… to protect Nigerians at home in Nigeria and abroad,’ as he called for ‘more deserving proactiveness and commitment as the life of every Nigerian is sacred and  important.’

Obi, who expressed sadness over the situation of Nigerians in Sudan, in a statement released via his Twitter handle, Sunday, ‘deeply implored’ the Federal Government ‘to expedite all efforts to rescue about 4000 Nigerians that are mostly students in Sudan to safety.’

Reacting to the conflict, Sunday, the Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while calling for a ceasefire between the warring armies, asked Nigerians trapped in the country to ‘remain indoors and contact the Embassy’ for further information on evacuation plans.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria is deeply concerned about the escalation of the conflict in Sudan between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has brought death and untold suffering to civilians.

“The non-adherence of the warring parties to numerous international calls for a ceasefire has worsened the plight of civilians and made it impossible to embark on their evacuation. Nigeria therefore, wishes to reiterate the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire.

“In the meantime, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with the Sudanese authorities and has, through the Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum, made an official request for permission to evacuate Nigerian students and other members of the Nigerian community who may wish to depart the country.

“Additionally, the Nigerian Embassy has created WhatsApp and Telegram platforms for the students and other Nigerians in Sudan, for the purposes of proper coordination and regular updates. Nigerians in the country are advised to remain indoors and contact the Embassy on any of the following numbers: +249 90 765 0702, +234 803 698; 1824, +249 90 132 5359, +249 92’ and 440 1217.

Meanwhile, as foreign governments airlifted hundreds of their diplomats and other citizens to safety, Sudanese nationals, Monday, desperately sought ways to escape the chaos, fearing that the country’s two rival generals will escalate their all-out battle for power once evacuations were completed.

The evacuations were a dramatic operation. In convoys, foreign diplomats, workers and families made their way past combatants at tense front lines in the capital of Khartoum to reach extraction points — or even drove hundreds of miles to the country’s east coast.

A stream of European and Mideast military aircraft flew in all day Sunday, through the night and into Monday, to ferry them out. France and Germany said more flights were possible if security conditions permitted.

Amid continued gunfire, nationals from dozens of countries made their way to extraction points. Most European evacuations took place out of a site on the outskirts of Khartoum, and evacuees had to make their way across the city to reach it. Some braved the roads in their own vehicles while others called on private security firms to shepherd them through military and RSF checkpoints. From the windows of one convoy, fighters from the two sides could be seen standing, heavily armed but unmoving.

The exodus began with American special operations forces swooping in and out of Khartoum in helicopters early Sunday to evacuate U.S. Embassy personnel.

France brought out nearly 400 people, including citizens from 28 countries, on four flights to the nearby Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, two of them overnight. A Dutch air force C-130 Hercules flew out of Sudan to Jordan in the early hours Monday carrying evacuees of various nationalities, including Dutch, on board. Germany has so far conducted three flights out of Sudan, bringing more than 300 people out to Jordan.

Italy, Spain, Jordan and Greece also brought out a total of several hundred more people, including their own citizens and those of other countries.

Japanese nationals are being transported by land to an eastern town with an airstrip, to be picked up by Japanese aircraft positioned in Djibouti, Japanese media said. France and Germany each said they were prepared to do more flights if possible.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted that U.K. armed forces evacuated British diplomatic staff and dependents. But Britain’s Middle East Minister Andrew Mitchell said about 2,000 U.K. citizens still in Sudan have registered with the embassy for potential evacuation. Many Britons in the country have complained about a lack of information from the government and say they are in the dark about any evacuation plans.

EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell told reporters in Luxembourg on Monday that the evacuation operation has been successful, with more than 1,000 people brought out by EU member states.

However, for many Sudanese, the airlift was a terrifying sign that international powers, after failing repeatedly to broker cease-fires, only expect a worsening of the fighting that has pushed the population into disaster. During nine days of warfare in Khartoum and other cities, millions have been trapped in their homes by explosions, gunfire and armed fighters looting in the streets while food supplies run out and hospitals near collapse.

Many Sudanese, along with Egyptians and other foreigners who could not get on flights, risked the long and dangerous drive to the northern border into Egypt.

Amani el-Taweel, an Egyptian expert on Africa, warned of “horrific suffering” for Sudanese unable to leave.

However, while Sudanese who can afford it make their way to Egypt or Chad, the poor ‘will suffer greatly as they will have no access to aid or food,’ said el-Taweel, with Egypt’s Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Humanitarian aid can no longer reach Sudanese because of the clashes, and once evacuations are complete, “warring parties will not heed any calls for a truce or a cease-fire,” she said.

Prior to the escalation of the Sudan conflict, WHO’s Regional Trauma Initiative had been working with the WHO Country Office in Sudan to establish a cadre of leading health care professionals trained and equipped on mass casualty management. Efforts were kicked off last year, when a team of trauma specialists from WHO’s Regional Office were deployed to Sudan to work in multiple states across the country, including Khartoum, Blue Nile and Al Ganeina.

Over 30 frontline doctors were trained on mass casualty principles and equipped to become national instructors; they further cascaded the training to over 150 frontline health workers in 2022 and 60 more in 2023, with mentorship and continued guidance from the Regional Trauma Initiative. The Regional Trauma Initiative, the WHO Country Office and the Federal Ministry of Health worked together to help establish multiple mass casualty management teams led by Sudanese doctors and nurses who can be mobilized in times of a mass incident, such as the one unfolding in Sudan.

Sudan’s rival generals came to power after a pro-democracy uprising led to the 2019 ouster of former strongman Omar al-Bashir. In 2021, the generals joined forces to seize power in a coup.

Well over 300 people have been killed since the fighting erupted last Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The current violence came after Burhan and Dagalo fell out over a recent internationally brokered deal with democracy activists that was meant to incorporate the RSF into the military and eventually lead to civilian rule.

The crisis, which began in Khartoum, the capital city, has now spread to its environs, mostly the residential areas around the capital, which could increase the number of casualties.