By Lateef Adegbite
The last may not have been heard over the alleged $1.2 million spent by the Nigerian government to purchase 40 buses used in evacuating Nigerians trapped from the crisis- ravaged Sudan, in which the Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, have invested stakes in the country’s future to the identified safe borders with the neighbouring Egypt.
The importance of the North African country became more pronounced because of its strategic geographic location for accessing sub-Saharan African as well as global trade routes and supply chains via al- Mandab strait. With seven international borders, there are fears that the Sudan crisis has the potential to spill over to many other countries, particular, Egypt, Ethiopia and the West African country of Chad, a member country of the Lake Chad Basin Commission .
The four countries bordering the Lake Chad Basin include the Central African country of Cameroon, and West African countries of Nigerm Nigeria and Chad . This is an indications that if the Sudan violence spreads to the neighbouring countries particular, Chad, Nigeria and other member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, are not safe.
Given that the violence is still under control may have informed why countries across the world including the Nigerian government are evacuating their citizens from Sudan. According to Nasir Sani Gwarzo, Permanent Secretary, ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and Chairman of the Situation Room on the evacuation of Nigerians from Sudan in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, had revealed that the government has paid $30,000 , on each of the 40buses purchased .
Given an insider information, Gwarzo had said that the owners of the buses had demanded complete payment before it could be delivered to the country. He noted that given the crisis situation in the Sudan banking sector due to the crisis as the money could not be remitted directly to the dealers the government was encouraged to engage the services of Middlemen.
Contrarry to the allegations making the rounds that ‘’the price of the buses were Negotiated in a condition of war’’, which was o the highside , as there are competing demands for same bus services by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens at cheaper prices but Gwarzo would not agree.
He was said to have told those that cares to listen that ‘’the prices of the Nigerian buses were Negotiated’’ , noting that the Department of State Security, DSS, under the close watch of Ysuf Magaji Bichi, and Modibbo Hamman Tukur, Chief Executive Officerm, CEO, of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, were carried along in the payment process.
He noted that the completion of the payment and confirmation of receipt of the money by the bus dealers may have facilitated the delivery of the buses to the Nigerian government.
There is no gain saying the fact the situation at Egyptian borders of Aswan and Argeen, have been worrisome over the difficulty in accessing the Arab country by those who had managed to escape Sudan and the evacuates at the Arab League country.
A recent A-Jazera Television reports had shown long lines of 50 Seater buses queues at Argeen, one of the two main border crossings along he Egyptian –Sudanese border carrying thousands of people from different countries across the world including Nigerians escaping the fighting in Khartoun, the Sudan’s Capital to neighboring countries Egypt.
Many of the escapes, particular, were said to have been traumatized by heavy artillery and air strikes that may have hit their homes or struck nearby houses after battles broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces , SAF, Commanded by Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Burhan and the heavily armed Pparamilitary Rapid Support Forces under the Leadership of Gen. Mohaed Hamdam Dagalo, popular, hEemdti, in Darfur militia circles.
A Value News orrespondent who had had monitored an Al-Jazera Televisions reports had seen ‘’mounds of luggage that were piled next to the crowds of hungry and exhausted people, including children , chronically ill people , elderly men and women, without food, water, sanitary toilets or access to basic health care facilities , awaiting to cross into Egypt.
The situation, according to the Al-Jazera Reporters, covering the Sudan violenece, ae not different from what is happening at Aswan, another Egyptian international border community with the war –torn Sudan. At the Aswan Border, the Nigerian evacuees and other nationals are experiencing delays in crossing into Egypt.
Gwarzo, of the Humanitarian ministry, had confirmed that the first batch of 13 buses conveying 637 evacuees had arrive the identified safe border at Aswan, but were made to go through the necessary Egyptian Immigration documentation and clearance process before being allowed to enter into the Gulf country . The second batch of 29 buses was said to have left Sudan on Saturday, April 30, 2023, to the Aswan border Community in Egypt.
The Nigerian evacuees from Sudan, may be experiencing delays in entering Egypt, from the identified safe borders, between the two Gulf countries, due ‘’to the delays on payment caused by Godwin Emefiele led Central Bank of Nigeria and the requests for visa payments by the Egyptian government but the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs officials had said that the Embassy officials are doing everything with their powers to resolve the crisis.
Evacuees had told Al-Jazera, that on approaching the Egyptian side of the Aswan border and other identified international borders, they were said to have been divided into groups of Egyptians and Foreigners,and told to queue up at to different windows served by one staff of the country’s Immigration Service each as it caused delays.
The delays at the Egyptians borders may have been caused the Egyptian Immigration officials, who after collecting the evacuees from Sudan’s’ and other escapes’ passports and forms for processing and clearance, fail to follow the logical order of things.
The Egyptian Media outlets have reported that between Friday, April 21, 2023 and Tuesday, April 25, 2023, more than 10,000 people , from different countries, across the world had crossed over to Egypt through the land borders of Qatal and Argeen.
Given the allegations against the Egyptian Immigration at the Aswan border of being slow and ineffective in their humanitarian response in processing of documents of travelers and evacuees and other escapes who were said to have paid $200 each to the border and another $150 just to get to the Aswan border from Sudan crossing into the Gulf country,
The Egyptian Authorities may have seen it as a dent on the country’s image that it had granted Human rights Organisations, including the United Nations, UN, agencies, the permission ‘’to visit the Aswan Land borders with Sudan to see things for themselves instead of depending on reports from the social media to jump into conclusion.
While thousands of nationals from other countries across the world , including Nigerians have been evacuated from Sudan, to the Egyptian Aswan border, crossing into Egypt, officials of the UN’S Refugees agency,UNHCR, had said that that they are expecting 270,000 Sudanese refugees to cross into Chad and South Sudan but could not give the projections for Egypt, which security analyst had said may be more.
