One Gunned Down as Nigerian Govt Delays Evacuation of Students in Sudan

As the Nigerian government delays the evacuation of students studying in War-torn Sudan, one student whose identity and nationality had not been disclosed was reportedly killed by a stray bullet.

According to a BBC report, the student was buried on campus.

Sudan has been in turmoil since the conflict that arose between the army and the fighters of Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

However, dozens of students remain trapped, including Nigerians.

“We buried our friend after getting permission from his family and the university. We were going to get food for the rest of the students,” a law student Mosaab Sharif, who is sheltering in a building near the campus, told BBC.

“There were three of us, and then he was hit in the chest. We couldn’t even help him. As we were burying our colleague, one of us was hit with a bullet in his hand.”

Both the army and the paramilitary group RSF claim to control key sites in Khartoum, where residents have been sheltering from explosions and gunfire.

“Snipers have been targeting anyone with flashlights,” said Sharif . “That’s why no one is walking around wearing white clothes to be extra safe. We are scared of both sides, the military and the RSF, if they shoot in our direction.”

The law student also added that other students had been sleeping in a nearby mosque, when a shell hit the building, injuring two people.

“We are in the middle of a heavy firefight. There are ammunition strikes around us which hit homes. The students have been here for three days without food or drink. Their condition is very, very, bad,” Sharif added.

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In a separate video circulating widely on social media, another student reveals how dozens of students are sleeping on the floor of a library on campus.

“There’s 88 of us including 20 workers, some elderly. The situation is difficult,” he said. “We can’t do anything. we don’t have any resources and planes are flying by. We are scared of electricity and water cuts.”

He went on to say that food and water were running low but that no one wanted to risk leaving the building.

A Nigerian student in Khartoum who pleaded anonymity told the BBC that she managed to get out but had “never experienced anything like this in her life”.

“We woke up to gunshots, it was really scary, we were panicking,” she explained, as she fled from her accommodation and was told to get on a crowded bus to a safer location.

“I spoke to my mum yesterday but she could literally hear the gunshots from my phone,” he said.

Schools and universities are calling on humanitarian organisations to help evacuate dozens of stranded people and students. But Ghazali Babiker, Sudan’s acting director for the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières, said that even aid agencies trying to help have been cut off.

“With this war no one can walk out on the street. Everyone is trapped in their location,” he said.

NIGERIAN GOVT DELAYING EVACUATION OF STUDENTS

At least, 1,700 Nigerian students in the war-torn country have indicated interest to be evacuated but the federal government seemed to be frustrated by the unending fight.

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Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer for Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), said though the Nigerian Mission in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency had put in place arrangements to evacuate the citizens, it was impossible for any flight during this period of war, Punch reports.

Her words were contained in a statement signed by Gabriel Odu of the Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM, on Friday.

“The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said while the Nigerian Mission in Sudan and the National Emergency Management Agency have put in place arrangements to evacuate Nigerian students and other Nigerian citizens stranded in Sudan, the tensed situation makes it gravely risky and impossible for any flights at this point in time, noting that aircrafts parked at the airport in the country were burnt yesterday (Thursday) morning

“Dabiri-Erewa noted that humanitarian groups are seeking ways of getting food, water and medical supplies across to people.

“She, therefore, appealed to the fighting parties to consider the Juba Peace Agreement enunciated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development as a fundamental mechanism for the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the country,” the statement read.

About 12,000 Nigerian students were studying in Sudan, according to the Secretary-General of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sudan, Adam Mohammed.

“Most of them are currently in Nigeria for the Ramadan holidays because there is no academic activity during the holy month until after Eid,” he said.

He revealed that 1,717 Nigerian students had filled the evacuation form as of yesterday.

Umar Abubakar, President for Jigawa State Students Association in Sudan, who lives in Mujahideen, Khartoum, said Nigerian students were fleeing their residences for safety as heavy gunshots persist in Sudan, especially in Khartoum.

“After prayer this morning, we are running for our lives. The situation is very serious as you can hear the gunshots in the background; please pray for us,” he stated in a voice note sent to Punch.

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He added: “I got a safe place; I am good at the moment. No one has been hurt so far. I could not believe that a bullet fell in front of us, while running and we found some others in the place we hid.

“People were running in different directions, but the people around me were six; 90 per cent of the Nigerian students are studying in the capital city, Khartoum.

“We ran to another town that is safe, but that too, is not comfortable. What about the poor sisters that cannot withstand the ups and downs?

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