From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said the Federal Government was worried over thousands of Nigerian citizens stuck in troubled Sudan.
In a tweet via his Twitter handle, @Garshehu, 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.”
Over 400 people have died and nearly 3,500 have been injured in the confrontation between the Sudanese security forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Force.
The violence, which began on April 8 and entered its 15th day on Sunday, has forced hundreds of citizens to flee the capital Khartoum.
The RSF paramilitary organisation, directed by General Mohamed Dagalo, and the Sudanese Armed Forces, under the command of General Abdel al-Burhan, were previously allies.
They collaborated in the 2019 revolt that ousted Sudan’s cruel dictator Omar al-Bashir, who had governed the nation for thirty years.