President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu on Sunday disclosed that the presidency is worried over thousands of its citizens stuck in troubled Sudan due to the dangers posed to air travel in the North African country.
Speaking on the incident via his Twitter handle, Shehu wrote: “Nigerian government has been having sleepless nights following the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
“Our officials are doing a lot, coordinating with the Embassy in Khartoum, the Sudanese and Ethiopian governments trying to ensure the safety of the large number of our citizens there.
“Minister Geoffrey Onyeama who is coordinating these efforts is optimistic that they will start moving people to safety as soon as possible. Watch the Minister explain what they are doing on Channels TV this evening.”
The conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary group, Rapid Support Force, has claimed over 400 lives with about 3,500 injured.
The clashes have also displaced thousands of civilians who fled the capital, Khartoum, as the violence, which started on April 8, entered its 15th day on Sunday.
Until recently, the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel al-Burhan, and the RSF paramilitary group, headed by General Mohamed Dagalo, were allies.
They worked together in 2019 in a popular uprising that overthrew Sudan’s brutal dictator, Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for three decades.
