…as ceasefire extended but fighting continues

…South Sudan offers to host peace talks

The Federal Government says the nation’s Air Force (NAF) will start evacuating Nigerians caught in the armed conflict in the Sudan from Friday.

The airlift operations will take place in neighbouring Egypt, where the stranded Nigerians had been taken by bus, through a land corridor in the course of a three-day ceasefire, as a first step and safety precaution.

“The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Peace and other Airlines have received clearance to fly to Egypt. The NAF C-130H is scheduled to leave Abuja tomorrow,(Friday) 28th April, 2023 to commence the airlifting of the evacuees,” Ambassador Janet Olisa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.

Olisa further said arrangements have been made to airlift all Nigerians who escaped on their own to safety to other countries neighbouring Sudan.

Meanwhile, rival factions of Sudan’s military have agreed to renew a three-day ceasefire, shortly before it was due to expire.

The extension – for another 72 hours – follows intensive diplomatic efforts by neighbouring countries, as well as the US, UK and UN.

But there are continuing reports of heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum.

The previous truce allowed thousands of people to attempt to flee to safety, while dozens of countries have tried to evacuate their citizens.

Almost two weeks of fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group have left hundreds dead.

The ceasefire had been expected to end at midnight local time (22:00 GMT).

Early on Thursday evening the Sudanese regular army agreed to an extension, and its rival the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) followed suit hours later.

South Sudan has offered to host peace talks, and the army has agreed to send representatives to the talks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was “very actively working” to extend the truce, adding that while imperfect, it had reduced violence.

But White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre later said the situation could worsen at any moment.

Meanwhile the RSF and eyewitnesses said the army had been pounding its positions in Khartoum.

The foreign minister in the civilian government, Maryam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, told the BBC from her home in Khartoum that despite the ceasefire, civilians were still living in fear.

“What they call a truce has nothing to do with what is happening,” she told Radio Four’s World Tonight programme. “The bombardment by the aeroplanes is taking place almost all day and night.”

Fighting has also been reported in the western Darfur region and other provinces.

At least 512 people have been killed in the fighting and almost 4,200 injured, although the real number of deaths could be much higher.

The World Health Organization said it expected there to be “many more” deaths due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of services.

Health officials say most hospitals in conflict areas are not functioning, and more than 60% of health facilities in Khartoum are inactive.

David Miliband, the head of the International Rescue Committee and former British foreign secretary, said the international community was in danger of neglecting the wider crisis in Sudan in the rush to evacuate foreign nationals.