- The flights departed from Egypt and Port Sudan after evacuees travelled through dangerous conflict-affected areas
- Under the programme, 590 Nigerians have so far been evacuated through four chartered flights
- With both the government-led evacuation and subsequent humanitarian flights combined
More than 3,100 Nigerians have been brought back from Sudan since conflict broke out in the country in April 2023, according to records compiled from government agencies and humanitarian organisations involved in the evacuation efforts.
Information obtained from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Eko Hot Blog gathered that the repatriation exercise has been carried out in phases, beginning with emergency evacuations organised by the Federal Government before transitioning to humanitarian-assisted returns coordinated by international partners.
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In the initial response to the crisis, Nigerian authorities arranged 15 evacuation flights between April and May 2023, successfully transporting 2,518 citizens back home.
The flights departed from Egypt and Port Sudan after evacuees travelled through dangerous conflict-affected areas to designated assembly points.
Many of those evacuated were students whose studies were disrupted by the fighting, alongside workers and families caught in the violence.
Government officials disclosed at the time that the operation required significant logistical planning and financial resources, including the deployment of buses to move stranded Nigerians from Sudan to neighbouring Egypt for onward airlift to Nigeria.
The final group under the emergency evacuation programme arrived in Abuja in May 2023, with authorities reporting that no Nigerian lives were lost during the operation.
As hostilities intensified and spread across different parts of Sudan, many Nigerians who remained behind found themselves unable to leave immediately.
To address their situation, the IOM later introduced a voluntary humanitarian return programme aimed at assisting vulnerable migrants and foreign nationals seeking safe passage out of the country.
Under the programme, 590 Nigerians have so far been evacuated through four chartered flights. Of that number, 425 returned during 2025, while an additional 165 arrived in Nigeria this year.
The humanitarian agency said returnees received support packages that included healthcare services, psychosocial assistance, transportation aid and programmes designed to help them reintegrate into society and rebuild their livelihoods.
Some beneficiaries were also enrolled in business and entrepreneurship training initiatives intended to ease their economic transition after returning home.
With both the government-led evacuation and subsequent humanitarian flights combined, the number of Nigerians repatriated from Sudan has reached at least 3,108.
Officials involved in the exercise, however, believe the actual figure may be higher because some citizens returned through private arrangements or unofficial routes that were not captured in official records.
Despite the return of thousands of Nigerians, uncertainty remains over how many citizens are still living in Sudan
.
Humanitarian workers say the volatile security situation and limited access to several areas make it difficult to determine the exact number of Nigerians who remain in the country.
Although some regions of Sudan have witnessed gradual returns by displaced residents, aid organisations continue to warn that the humanitarian situation remains fragile, with many communities facing damaged infrastructure, destroyed homes and limited access to basic services.
The conflict erupted on April 15, 2023, following a power struggle between Sudan’s military leadership and the Rapid Support Forces.
What began as clashes in the capital quickly expanded into a wider conflict, triggering mass displacement and creating one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
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