Nigerian students in Sudan are to be evacuated back home because of the ongoing fighting  between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa said  government was concerned about the fate of   the students in the war-ravaged country.

She explained in a statement yesterday by NIDCOM’s  Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit,   Gabriel Odu,  that  the  agency   received a letter of solicitation by the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sudan, for evacuation of its members, especially those in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.

Abike-Dabiri  assured that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is already  consulting with the Nigerian mission in Sudan and other relevant agencies on the matter.

She, however, urged  the  students and other  Nigerians living in Sudan  to be security conscious and calm.

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Uganda and Japan are also making arrangements to evacuate their citizens from Sudan. 

Quatar-based Al Jazeera  reported earlier that fighting intensified yesterday morning with  bombardment by warplanes in the centre of Khartoum.

The fireworks led to a call by United Nations aid chief Antonio Guterres on the Sudanese Army and the  RSF to implement a three-day ceasefire marking the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Guterres said the ceasefire  would  allow trapped civilians to escape and access medical treatment, food and other essential supplies.

The leaders of Sudan’s rival military forces have refused to negotiate with each other six days after  fresh fighting commenced in the third largest African country.

The death toll has surpassed 300 and over 3,000 wounded, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).  

With two generals- Abdel  al-Burhan and Mohamed Dagalo –  vying for power in the country, Khartoum residents said that the fighting had destroyed hospitals, airfields and homes, and left civilians caught in the crossfire.

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