Some of the Nigerians who have been evacuated from Sudan have expressed their wish to return to the country once the war is over.
The clashes in Sudan are between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Until recently, the leaders of the two forces were allies. They worked together in 2019 to overthrow Sudan’s brutal dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled over the country for three decades, sweeping to power as thousands of people took to the streets in a popular uprising against al-Bashir.
After that coup, a power-sharing government was formed, made up of civilian and military groups. The plan was for it to run Sudan for a few years and oversee a transition to a completely civilian-run government.
Al-Burhan, who had assumed leadership of the power-sharing council, disbanded it in 2021 and announced that elections would take place in 2023 in its place.
Negotiations regarding combining the two forces prior to the expected restoration of civilian rule broke down, which led to the current combat between the army and the RSF. There were differences of opinion on who would be the superior general and how quickly the RSF would be integrated into the Sudanese military.
On April 8, fierce violence erupted all over the nation, turning Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and the nearby city of Obdurman into battlegrounds.
Also on Wednesday, three hundred and sixty four Nigerian evacuees from crisis-ridden Sudan, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
In an interview with journalists, one of the returnees, Stephen Chidera, who is also a footballer, said he would love to return back to the country after the war.
When asked if he will miss Sudan, he said, “I will miss my business because things are very expensive in Sudan. I will also miss the lovely people. Those people were nice to a fault and their kind acts were why I decided to take my wife along with me.”
Also, he stated that he is planning to return to Sudan once the war is over to continue his business and also his football career.
“I came back with my wife. She is pregnant with my first child. Though, I will still return to Sudan once the war ends. I want to continue with my football career to see if I can play for a pro league. I am also planning on opening a business for my wife here. Now that we are back in Nigeria, she will go into business too. She will soon give birth, so I cannot take her back to Sudan even when the war is over,” he added.
Another student who was evacuated from Sudan, Mohammed AbdulRahman, stated that he went to Sudan to learn Arabic.
“Sudan is an Arabic country. So, we go to Sudan to learn more Arabic and have experience because when we study in Nigeria, we have less experience in Arabic. I am studying computer science at the International University of Africa. Any student who studies here must speak Arabic and any other course of study.”
He explained that he hopes the war ends soon so that he could return to the country to continue his studies.
“I pray that the war ends very soon so that we can continue our education. I am at 300 level and I have three more semesters to finish my education in Sudan. Before, I go back to Sudan; I will continue my sewing business and maybe any other possible business.
“If Sudan is safe, I want to go back because the Sudanese are very generous. On our way to the border, some stopped us and gave us water, medicine and some snacks. I want to go back to Sudan to finish my studies,” he added.
