Over 1,262 Nigerian students are asking the Federal Government to evacuate them from the Republic of Sudan.
The nation is experiencing a major military clash between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Force.
The crisis has resulted in 330 fatalities and 3,200 injuries.
Numerous foreign countries, including Tanzania, Uganda, and Japan, started evacuating their citizens, as the unrest that started on April 8 entered its 12th day on Thursday.
The conflicts has caused the displacement of thousands of people who fled the city, Khartoum.
In an interview on Thursday, Adam Mohammed, the secretary-general of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sudan, decried the fact that many students were out of food.
Genesis Of The Sudan War
The RSF paramilitary force, led by General Mohamed Dagalo, and the Sudanese Armed Forces, under the command of General Abdel al-Burhan, were previously allies.
In 2019, they collaborated to help the people of Sudan overthrow Omar al-Bashir, a harsh tyrant who had ruled the nation for thirty years.
Following the coup, a coalition of civilian and military organisations formed a government with shared control.
The interim government was supposed to rule Sudan for a few years and supervise the transition to a civilian government, but in 2021 al-Burhan, who had risen to the position of chief of the power-sharing council, abolished it and announced he would hold elections in 2023 instead.
As a result of unsuccessful negotiations to integrate the two forces prior to the projected restoration of civilian control, the current combat between the army and the RSF began.
There were differences of opinion on who would be the superior general and how quickly the RSF would be integrated into the Sudanese military.
On April 8, there was a lot of fighting, and the city of Khartoum and Obdurman became battlegrounds.
The Nigeria Embassy
The Sudanese NANS Secretary-General, Mohammed, said on Thursday that no students had been harmed during the conflict, but he bemoaned the fact that the students were dealing with food shortages, power outages, and communications blackouts.
Mohammed said he had contacted the Federal Government about their predicament and that preparations to evacuate the trapped residents were well under way.
People Also Read: What Is Happening In Sudan?
Also, he said that as of Wednesday night, 1,262 Nigerian students had completed the evacuation papers.
The Secretary-General said: “Everything is under control because the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan has spoken to the Nigerian government and preparations are ongoing.
“The Nigerian government is trying to send in some planes to evacuate Nigerian students in Sudan.
“Also, the members of the Parent-Guardian Association of Nigeria whose children or wards are schooling in Sudan have spoken to the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa to assist in the evacuation of Nigerian students.
“In summary, the situation concerning the Nigerian students here is under control.
“Presently, none of the Nigerian students in Sudan is hurt because everyone is indoors and they have all cooperated with us.
“So far, no light, water, bad (telecoms) network and some students have been complaining of no food and they cannot go out and restock.
“The current number of Nigerian students that filled their forms as of last night that are ready for the evacuation is 1,262”.