A total of more than 7,000 citizens including Nigerians were stuck at the Egyptian border because immigration officials refused to let them through to airports in the country where they would be airlifted, according to the press release of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) citing its head, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
"More than 7,000 nationals, including Nigerians, have not been allowed to cross the border into Egypt since their arrival late Thursday evening," Dabiri-Erewa said.
The NIDCOM chairman urged all those involved in the passage and movement of people and services along Sudan's borders to create humane conditions so that evacuees have unhindered access to various destinations.
The Egyptian officials insisted that nationals who are travelling back to their countries, must have a visa to proceed, the NIDCOM pointed out.
According to the Joint Press Release from Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster and Social Development, the first batch of 13 buses conveying 637 Nigerian evacuees from Sudan arrived at the identified safe borders at Atswan on Friday. The second batch of 29 buses will start off on Saturday.
The Federal Government also said that the Nigerian Air Force, Air Peace and other airlines had received clearance to fly to Egypt to pick up stranded Nigerians.
Foreign countries are trying to arrange for their citizens to flee Sudan, which has been in the grip of intense fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and the regular army of Abdel Fattah al-Burhane.
So far, around 600 people have died in the clashes, the Sudanese Health Ministry has said. The World Health Organization has reported that more than 450 have died and over 4,000 have been injured.