Sudan: 836 Evacuees Arrive Abuja

Total of 836 passengers arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja from Sudan, yesterday.
The passengers were on board an Azman Air carrier with 324 of the evacuees, thus making it the seventh batch of stranded Nigerians to return home from crisis-ridden Sudan.
A statement by Head of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols Unit of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun, yesterday, indicated that the sixth batch of returnees from Port Sudan aboard Tarco Airline, landed moments before with 102 evacuees, including pregnant women and children.
Tarco Airline left Port Sudan International Airport at 5:25 a.m. local time, with estimated time of arrival in Abuja, Nigeria at 11:30a.m. to noon.
Earlier, he said another batch of 410 evacuees departed Aswan International Airport, Egypt, and landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport around 10:30a.m. local time on MaxAir.
“I am happy to inform you that Max Air and Azman are airborne and are expected to arrive in Abuja at 10a.m. today, Sunday, 7 May, 2023 with more than 700 passengers.
“May Allah bring the two batches safely. Aamin.
“We await the arrival of Air Peace later. The good news is, no Nigerian life has been lost so far,” he said.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) had earlier announced that over 700 Nigerians evacuated from warring Sudan would be airlifted by Max Air and Azman Air will arrive in Abuja at 10:00 am on Sunday.
A tweet posted on NIDCOM’s Twitter page reads: “Max Air and Azman are airborne and are expected to arrive in Abuja at 10 am today, Sunday, 7th May, 2023 with over 700 passengers.
“Thank you to the NiDCOM, NEMA team, and the Immigration Attaché on frame 4 that has been working with the Nigeria Mission in Egypt and Sudan”.
According to reports, a Max Air flight conveying some of the returnees landed at the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport around 10:50 am on Sunday.
The returnees are the fourth batch to be repatriated from North Africa since the conflict started.
Recall the Management of Max Air had last Thursday announced that it would be evacuating 560 stranded Nigerians in Sudan from Egypt.