Intense clashes between Sudan’s military and the country’s main paramilitary force have killed hundreds of people and sent thousands fleeing for safety, as a burgeoning civil war threatens to destabilise the wider region. Attempts by Nigeria to evacuate her over three million citizens have been shoddy exposing them to danger.

The crisis erupted in the middle of April amid an apparent power struggle between the two main factions of the Sudanese military hegemony that are broadly loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto ruler, and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a collection of militia that follow the former warlord Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

The power struggle has its roots in the years before a 2019 uprising that ousted the dictatorial ruler Omar al- Bashir, who built up formidable security forces that he deliberately set against one another. When an effort to transition to a democratic civilian-led government faltered after Bashir’s fall, an eventual showdown appeared inevitable, with diplomats in Khartoum warning in early 2022 that they feared such an outbreak of violence.

Genesis Of The Military Rivalries

The RSF was founded by Bashir to crush a rebellion in Darfur that began more than 20 years ago due to the political and economic marginalisation of the local people by Sudan’s central government. The RSF was also known by the name of Janjaweed, which became associated with widespread atrocities. In 2013, Bashir transformed the Janjaweed into a semi-organised paramilitary force and gave their leaders military ranks before deploying them to crush a rebellion in South Darfur and then dispatching many to fight in the war in Yemen, and later Libya.

The RSF, led by Hemedti, and the regular military forces under Burhan cooperated to oust Bashir in 2019. The RSF then dispersed a peaceful sit-in that was held in front of the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing hundreds of people and raping dozens more. Later a power-sharing deal with the civilians who led the protests against Bashir, which was supposed to bring about a transition towards a democratic government, was interrupted by a coup in October 2021.

The ongoing war between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has no doubt plunged the country into unrest with thousands fleeing the capital, Khartoum, and other battlegrounds. Countries have begun the evacuation of their citizens with flights, boats, buses, etc. With the Khartoum International Airport now a battleground, the evacuation process has suffered a setback leaving many stranded.

Nigerians, both students studying at the International University of Africa (IUA), Khartoum, Sudan and those earning a living in Sudan are currently stranded as those speaking with Saturday INDEPENDENT narrate the various degrees of suffering they are passing through right now. Before, Nigeria hired buses to ferry out the citizens out of the crisis-torn Sudan, which seemingly lacked transparency in the amount paid to the transporters by the embassy. This is frustrating the evacuation process and putting Nigerian citizens at serious risk while some were abandoned for hours in the desert.

They said what they were hearing from the news was that the federal government through the Nigerian embassy in Sudan had paid for forty (40) buses to convey them out of Sudan to Egypt but to their dismay, only ten buses were available and they didn’t say anything and when the remaining buses are coming. They maintained that a few buses that conveyed some students stopped in the middle of the desert on the allegation that they were not paid fully.

Speaking on the development, one of the female students said, “They gave us 72 hours to leave and threatened that after the 72 hours, they would start again. As we are talking to you now, the 72 hours have lapsed and they have resumed the war again. We have moved out of the conference hall where we first gathered, one Hausa boy, who said he want to quickly go and pick something from his residence was hit by a bullet.

“Only women with children are allowed to take cover in the mosques, all others, we are on the roads, no light, no food, and no medical. It was when we did some videos and sent to our parents in Nigeria, that some rich informed some men among us to go and look for buses, that they would send the money so that we can be conveyed out of war-turn Khartoum”, said another student.

Another male who is simply identified as a doctor, while commending the federal government for quick intervention blamed Nigerian embassy officials in Sudan for not doing what the federal government asked them to do. According to him, “We commend the efforts of Nigeria leader at home because we heard they have sent money to embassy officials here but to our surprise, they abandoned us here. The federal government said forty (40) buses will come to take us but we saw only ten (10), and no explanation was given to us, even though they have left us here to our fate.

“Initially they were picking up our calls, saying they were arranging the buses but as we are speaking, their phones have been switched off. We are not safe at all, the bullets were just flying over our heads, we needed to lie down. We are calling on the federal government as a matter of urgency to talk to our embassy officials here in Sudan to hasten our evacuation,” the doctor said.

Some of those that are still stranded that gave their identities include Royhana Miftaudeen, Ahmad Abdulraheem Oriyomi with four (4) children, Ruqoyah Olabisi Yaqub, Abdu Rasaq Olaniyi Oladokun with five (5) kids, Zulaykha Olamide Yakub and Sulaimon Olajide Azeez with two (2) kids. Others are Ismaheel Saheed, Amoo Taofeeq, Nafisat Asake with two (2) kids, Ishaq Abdul Hameed Odebode, Abdul Yaqeen Fatimah with four (4) kids, Tijani Abiodun, Tijani Yakub, Halimah Olayinka with four (4) kids, Risqot Ajijola, Abdul Jalil Ajijola with four (4) kids and about to deliver the baby.

Also still stranded in Kartoum include Kafila Saliu with four (4) kids, Niamat Ramos Muhammad Awal with six (6) kids, Shittu Zainab, Saka Taoheed Akinkunmi, Saka Kehinde Lateefat, Maryam Ahmed Shabewa, Abdulhameed Abubakar with three (3) kids, Aisha Apatere, Ibrahim Tajudeen Al Adaby with four (4) kids and about to deliver, Afsoh Adewumi Abdul Rohuf and Lukman with six (6) kids.

Meanwhile, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM), on Friday has called on those concerned with passages and movement of persons and services along contiguous borders of Sudan to create a humane condition for about 7000 Nationals, including Nigerians to have unfettered access to their various destinations.

Dabiri-Erewa in a statement by Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM, Gabriel Odu, said over 7000 nationals, including Nigerians are not being allowed to cross the border into Egypt since their arrival late Thursday evening.

She added that the Nigerian mission in Egypt has been working tirelessly on this as the Egyptian authorities are insisting on visas by fellow Africans to transit back to their countries.

She appealed to the Egyptian authorities to kindly allow the already traumatised travellers to transit to their final destinations in various countries in Africa.

While some parents have contributed N50 million to assist in the evacuation of some students, some activities have questioned the policy of allowing Nigerians to go to school in Sudan, which they say, shows “how bad our educational sector has become and the failure of government, Sudanese are supposed to come to Nigeria to school and not the other way round. And someone will tell me Nigeria is the giant of Africa.”

Other Nigerians also took to their Twitter handle to speak on the evacuation of citizens from Sudan. Another activist asked: “Please what in God’s name would take any Nigerian to Sudan for studies? Study what from a very unacademic country. Can anyone tell me what that academic field the Sudanese have excelled in? I don’t get it.”

“That’s what Buhari’s regime has caused with its 8-month strike. Those that struggled to make it are owed salaries and hence you’re planning to relocate to a better country, their House of Representatives members would make a law restricting you for five years.

“You’d be shocked when you get to know what many of these ‘students’ are studying in places like Sudan and Libya. Worse still, many of them are state-sponsored and the NIA is reportedly aware of these ‘schools’, the ‘schooling’ and the ‘students’.

“If Nigerian leaders were patriotically responsible, why would Nigerians ever contemplate going to such a remote and impoverished country like Sudan to study? Now see what had befallen them,” the activist further stated. (Saturday Independent)

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