The International Organization for Migration has facilitated the return of 179 Nigerian migrants stranded in conflict-ravaged Sudan, bringing them back home under an assisted voluntary evacuation programme.
The development was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the organisation’s Senior Communication Assistant, Elijah Elaigwu, who said the migrants arrived on Tuesday at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano after departing from Port Sudan.
Elaigwu explained that the evacuation was carried out under the European Union-supported Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration programme, noting that it was the first organised repatriation of Nigerian migrants from Sudan in 2026 and the fourth since 2025.
He said many of the returnees had been trapped in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, where they struggled with food shortages, restricted access to healthcare and increasing safety risks.
The IOM Chief of Mission in Port Sudan, Refaat Mohamed, said the return of the migrants was about restoring dignity to individuals who had endured months of uncertainty and fear during the crisis.
According to Elaigwu, the organisation conducted medical screening, provided psychosocial support and arranged travel documentation and transportation for the migrants before their departure to ensure the evacuation was voluntary, safe and dignified.
The European Union also stressed the need to protect migrants caught in conflict situations, with the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, stating that the intervention was aimed at helping those whose lives had been disrupted by the crisis regain a sense of safety and stability.
On arrival in Nigeria, the migrants were received by IOM in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons and the Nigeria Immigration Service, alongside other partners.
Elaigwu said the returnees were provided with immediate assistance, including health checks, psychosocial support, temporary accommodation and transportation to their respective communities.
The IOM Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Sharon Dimanche, said the organisation would continue to support the migrants through reintegration programmes designed to help them rebuild their lives.
He added that the evacuation exercise was carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan and Sudanese immigration authorities under the Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Elaigwu further noted that since the crisis erupted in Sudan, the IOM had expanded emergency support for stranded migrants and has assisted more than 1,800 Nigerians through evacuation, protection services and voluntary return initiatives, with the European Union remaining its largest donor in Nigeria.
