More than 3,100 Nigerians have been evacuated from war-ravaged Sudan since conflict erupted in the country in April 2023, but authorities are yet to determine how many citizens remain stranded.
Latest records from the Federal Government and the International Organisation for Migration showed that at least 3,108 Nigerians have been rescued through a combination of emergency evacuations and humanitarian return programmes.
The figure comprises 2,518 Nigerians evacuated by the Federal Government during the early stages of the conflict in 2023 and another 590 assisted home through IOM-supported operations between 2025 and 2026.
However, officials involved in the evacuation process said the actual number of Nigerians who have left Sudan could be higher, as some citizens reportedly exited the country through unofficial routes or made independent travel arrangements.
The Federal Government’s evacuation exercise began shortly after fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.
The operation, which largely targeted stranded Nigerian students and other vulnerable citizens, involved 15 special evacuation flights. Four flights departed from Aswan in Egypt, while 11 others took off from Port Sudan after evacuees travelled through dangerous conflict zones to designated evacuation centres.
The last batch of government-evacuated Nigerians arrived in Abuja on May 13, 2023.
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, had disclosed that the government spent about $1.2m on the rescue operation.
The funds covered the deployment of 40 buses used to transport Nigerians to the Egyptian border, as well as other logistics and exit-related expenses.
At the time, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said no Nigerian life was lost during the evacuation exercise.
Despite the success of the initial operation, hundreds of Nigerians remained in Sudan after the government concluded its emergency evacuation programme.
As hostilities intensified and spread to other regions of the country, many of those who stayed behind reportedly found themselves trapped by worsening insecurity and economic hardship.
To assist vulnerable migrants seeking to leave Sudan, the IOM later introduced a Voluntary Humanitarian Return programme.
Under the initiative, four chartered flights have so far evacuated 590 Nigerians, including 425 in 2025 and another 165 in 2026.
The beneficiaries were largely students whose education was disrupted by the conflict, elderly persons and Nigerians who lost their sources of livelihood.
According to the IOM, returnees received medical assistance, counselling, psychosocial support, transportation aid and reintegration services upon arrival in Nigeria.
Some were also enrolled in entrepreneurship and business development programmes aimed at helping them rebuild their lives.
However, concerns persist over the fate of Nigerians still living in Sudan, as neither the Federal Government nor humanitarian agencies can provide a definitive figure of those yet to be evacuated.
IOM Senior Communications Assistant, Elijah Elaigwu, said obtaining accurate data remained difficult because of the fluid security situation and access limitations in parts of Sudan.
“Unfortunately, at this time, there is no precise or verified figure for the number of Nigerians still in Sudan who may have declined assistance or remain unreached,” he said.
“The situation on the ground remains highly fluid, and access constraints in different parts of the country make comprehensive verification challenging.”
The conflict in Sudan began on April 15, 2023, following a power struggle between the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The war has since displaced millions of people, devastated critical infrastructure and disrupted access to education, healthcare and other essential services across the country.
Although some displaced residents have started returning to parts of Sudan, humanitarian organisations say many are returning to damaged homes and communities with limited access to basic amenities.
For Nigeria, while thousands of citizens have been successfully evacuated from the conflict zone, uncertainty remains over how many compatriots are still trapped in the country.
