The war in the Republic of Sudan has alarmed the Nigeria Labour Congress, which notes that Nigerians are suffering as a result.
Comrade Joe Ajaero, president of the NLC, demanded an immediate cease-fire in a press release he issued on Saturday in order to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the issues that sparked the conflict.
Ajaero questioned why the Federal Government of Nigeria had not yet evacuated trapped Nigerians in Sudan, pointing out that it is the duty of any government to protect people and property.
“At this time, we are not particularly worried about the history and immediate causes of the war, but we are worried because many Nigerians have unwittingly become victims of the war and are trapped in that country and unable to leave,” he said.
“People still trapped in Sudan have cried out for assistance to escape the horrors that the war has continued to dish out.
“The NLC is concerned that since the war started at the end of the previous week, reports about the number of casualties are horrifying and terrifying, which makes every patriot concerned about the safety of our citizens there, especially our students.
“We believe that it is still the duty of every government to ensure the safety of its citizens, including ensuring that its citizens are protected in any way possible in the event of a war in another nation. The protection of people’s lives and property is one of the main goals of governance.
While we express our sympathy to the people and workers of Sudan and call for an immediate cease-fire to allow for a peaceful resolution of the differences that sparked the conflict, we are perplexed as to why the federal government of Nigeria finds it difficult to ensure the safety of the lives of our citizens in that country beyond the token effort at protection through an advisory to all Nigerians in that country to either seek refuge in our embassy in Khartoum or st
The excuse given by the FG for not rescuing trapped Nigerians in Sudan, according to the NLC President, is unimportant.
The justification that it would be dangerous to try to evacuate our nationals through the airport, according to Ajaero, begs the question and is unacceptable. We don’t know if other options for getting our citizens out of the area have been considered before returning to this apparent helplessness and apparent abandonment of our citizens, who are obviously in a lot of distress and constantly afraid for their lives.
“It is cliched diplomacy that in such a situation, serious governments will come to an agreement with the combatants regarding the removal of their citizens from the theater of battle, greatly reducing the risk of casualties and that of the equipment used in such operations.
“Can we not establish a safe corridor to neighboring nations to enable our citizens safe passage and evacuation through the various land borders if the airports are not safe as suggested by the government?”
He did, however, advise the government to use all reasonable efforts to evacuate Nigerians in Sudan in order to prevent their deaths.
“We also recommend that the government reach an agreement with the international community to establish a safe haven for all foreign nationals in the nation to protect them from the whims of the War while peace efforts are being made or alternative, safer evacuation methods are developed.
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“Our worry is that while our government uses its customary laziness and justifications, the lives of our citizens in Sudan, who are already in danger, could start suffering losses or injuries. We implore the federal government to act quickly through the relevant Ministries and Agencies to prevent our citizens from dying or getting hurt there.
We would like measures to be put in place to make their lives comfortable upon arrival, especially for those who own businesses in Sudan and have suffered business losses as a result. We are waiting for a quick and positive action towards evacuating our citizens. Bringing them home would be pointless without creating adequate infrastructure to meet their needs, he said.
