Key highlights
- Many students from Nigeria among other countries, have been trapped in universities and cities such as Khartoum since the fighting began on April 15.
- Non-Arab countries such as Nigeria have one the highest number of students in Sudan, and plans are underway to evacuate an initial batch of 3,500 stranded students.
- The group will be driven north by bus to Cairo, Egypt, where they will be flown home.
Thousands of foreign students from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia have been stranded across Sudan as factional fighting erupted.
It is estimated that at least 5,000 of them are Nigerians, as students from Egypt, Nigeria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Chad, South Sudan, and Somalia, among other countries, have been trapped in universities and cities such as Khartoum since the fighting began on April 15.
The largest number of Arab foreign students came from Somalia, another 2,000 students came from Yemen, while 1,200 came from Egypt and many people lack necessities and communication channels.
Evacuation of international students
According to the Arabic world education publication Al-Fanar based in London, there were over 15,000 international students from Arab countries alone, enrolled in Sudanese universities in 2019.
These students were spread across the country in 38 public universities and over 100 private institutions.
Non-Arab countries such as Nigeria have one of the highest number of students in Sudan, and plans are underway to evacuate an initial batch of 3,500 stranded students.
According to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, the group will be driven north by bus to Cairo, Egypt, where they will be flown home.
With many of the students coming from low and middle-income countries, few had been evacuated to safety, even though major world powers such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, Japan, and the European Union had begun airlifting citizens out of the war-torn country.
What they said
A statement issued on Sunday by the Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum, urged the students to remain calm and stay indoors, as preparations to move them out of Sudan were being finalized.
Also, the government advised students to disregard the National Association of Nigerian Students’ alleged plans to flee the chaos through Sudan’s southern neighbor, Ethiopia.
This decision was confirmed by chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who revealed that they had requested a safe exit from the country.
According to an official of the agency,
- “In an attempt to evacuate, we should be mindful of the fact that we do not want to lose any life to it. But now that there’s a window, the government is exploring that window to get these people back to safety”.
- “We should be mindful of the fact that we do not want to lose any life”
- “It is still dangerous to embark on a journey toward the borders of Sudan without securing clearance and guarantee from Sudanese authorities.
- “The embassy wishes to reassure the Nigerian students that their safety and wellbeing is of priority concern,” it added.
They confirmed to BBC Africa that evacuations would begin on Tuesday through Egypt.
Despite sporadic gunfire, a 72-hour truce has been declared and appears to be holding. Different countries are expected to step up evacuation efforts as the ceasefire period came to an end on April 28.
How the conflict affects international students
Sudan’s power struggles and political turmoil have resulted in the closure of several universities at various points since 2019. This, combined with poor economic conditions and rising living costs, has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of international students.
The fighting has killed over 400 people, and over 3500 people injured since the conflict between Sudan’s Armed Forces against Rapid Support Forces.