NEWS
Hundreds Of Nigerians Remain Stranded In Sudan
It has been more than two months since a conflict erupted in Sudan, and some Nigerians are still awaiting assistance from the national government to repatriate them from the troubled country.
Henry Akwari, a Nigerian professional footballer in Sudan, has expressed the uncertainty surrounding the situation of numerous Nigerians who are still trapped in Sudan.
Private airlines collaborated with the foreign ministry to evacuate over 3,000 Nigerians during the initial weeks of Sudan’s internal strife.
Many believed that all individuals requiring assistance had been successfully relocated from the war-ravaged nation. However, it has now come to light that a number of Nigerians are presently marooned in the country.
“I have been playing professional football in Sudan since 2016,” Akwari told The Punch on Sunday.
“I’m from Imo State, born and brought up in Lagos State. Though I have played for different teams within the past six years, I currently play for Alwadi Nyala.
“Before the war started, there was no indication and there was no announcement that there was going to be a war. It was a normal day, and as a footballer, I had to travel with my team because we had a match and the league was going on. I left the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, just a day before the war started.
“Due to the breakout of war, we couldn’t play the match we went for; we couldn’t travel, and we were stuck. The first evacuation started in Khartoum, and when this was happening, those of us outside Khartoum couldn’t come inside. That was why I was unable to come to Khartoum for the evacuation.”
The 30-year-old footballer said that he took a risk to travel from his residence in Agbara to Port Sudan because he heard that the government was evacuating Nigerians there.
Akwari said that he was not the only footballer or professional of Nigerian citizenship stuck in Port Sudan. They all missed the evacuation deadline because they had travelled from distant locations and avoided getting caught up in the violence from Khartoum.
“From the camp here and the other camps, I believe we are roughly 350. Let me not say we are more than this. Three hundred and fifty Nigerians are here; yes,” Akwari told The Punch.
“For the men, we are in the same camp, while the women are in another camp. We are all camped in an abandoned school here in Port Sudan.
“When I got here, even the embassy knew me well enough. I have tried talking to them to know what exactly the problem is, but the ambassador keeps assuring us that we will leave. Now, we know we will leave, but when exactly are we leaving? They have refused to tell us the day we are leaving. It is either they tell us that they don’t have clearance or tell us that there’s no plane or that the government has not sent funds.
“We don’t know why they kept giving us different answers. When we had a meeting with them (the embassy), they told us we would leave but they didn’t know if it would be in a month’s time or after a month. Meanwhile, we have stayed here for over a month and they are still giving us words that indicate that they don’t know when we would leave. We have lost hope. I won’t lie to you. We are just trying to be strong.”
Akwari spoke of the psychological toll the helpless situation had forced on the stranded evacuees.
He painted a painful picture of people resorting to criminality to survive within the camps.
“People are not working, and they have started to steal from one another. It is just like a fight to survive the situation. This is terrible. We also have information that ladies in their camps have started getting involved in prostitution just to ensure that they feed themselves. A lot of things are happening but people just want to survive,” Akwari said.
“Also, Port Sudan is so expensive; a bottle of water here goes for 1,000 Sudanese pounds. The item was normally sold for 300 Sudanese pounds. How do we eat and survive in this situation?
“At the moment, in Port Sudan, there’s no war. The security is tight but outside Port Sudan, there’s a terrible war going on out there and we can only pray that it doesn’t get here. We have been receiving many security alerts that they have been trying to break into Port Sudan. Last week, they caught a container filled with ammunition belonging to the Rapid Support Forces in Port Sudan here. We heard they brought them (ammunition) in through the sea and all of that.
“The only thing you do is not going anywhere. It is the only way we know that our lives can be protected, because there are soldiers everywhere. Some of us ran out of the war zone without our passports and walking around in the war zone without that is at your own risk. Anything can happen at any time, and it is not safe. The only thing we do is that we pray more and try to stay together all the time. That’s what we do.
“The ambassador had a lengthy talk (a few days ago) and his last word was that the embassy was with us, the Nigerian Government was with us and we would go home, but he did not tell us when we would go home. That was the last conversation.”
The United Nations has raised the alarm over a dramatic surge in attacks on schools worldwide, reporting a 166% increase between 2021 and 2024.
The rise highlights the escalating dangers faced by children in conflict zones.
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, revealed the figures during the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on the rights of the child on Monday.
The session, themed “Mainstreaming the Rights of Children in Armed Conflict: Prevention and Protection,” focused on protecting children amid global conflicts.
Al-Nashif noted that the attacks were particularly concentrated in Sudan, Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Myanmar, and Ethiopia, where children remain among the most vulnerable victims.
“In 2024, armed conflict directly affected nearly one in six children globally—about 470 million children,” she said. “Years of lost education, trauma, and lasting mental scars shape societies for generations. Long after the fighting subsides, children continue to face deadly risks.”
She highlighted Gaza as having the world’s highest number of child amputees per capita, warning that the impact of war goes far beyond immediate violence.
In Lebanon, government figures show that more than 450,000 people were displaced in less than a week, with at least 394 fatalities, including 83 children, during the 2024 conflict with Israel.
Al-Nashif also stressed the disproportionate risks for displaced children, who are more likely to die from disease linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a 2025 cholera outbreak killed 340 children, underscoring the long-term consequences of conflict.
She called on states to uphold their international obligations to protect children, insisting that protecting children is “both a legal obligation and a humanitarian moral imperative.”
Also speaking at the council, Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that violence against children continued at extreme levels in 2025.
She urged mainstreaming child protection across peace, security, humanitarian, human rights, and development efforts, emphasizing that children should actively participate in shaping policies designed to safeguard them.
Frazier highlighted her office’s global campaign, “Prove It Matters,” aimed at amplifying children’s voices in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
The UN report underscores the urgent need for coordinated international action to protect children and ensure their safety in conflict zones worldwide.
Portugal officially inaugurated its new president, Antonio Jose Seguro, on Monday, pledging to bring stability to a nation shaken by political uncertainty and natural disasters.
Seguro, the centre-left candidate, won last month’s presidential run-off against far-right rival Andre Ventura, following weeks of catastrophic storms that killed at least seven people and caused approximately €4 billion ($4.6 billion) in damage.
Speaking at his swearing-in ceremony in Lisbon’s parliament, Seguro emphasized cooperation with the minority right-wing government and vowed to end the country’s “electoral frenzy.”
SEE MORE: Spain, Portugal Plunge Into Darkness Amid Widespread Power Outage
“I will do everything I can to put an end to this electoral frenzy,” he said, pointing to the inability of previous governments to complete their terms.
Amid global crises, including conflicts in the Middle East and a more isolationist US approach under President Donald Trump, Seguro stressed the importance of multilateralism.
“The force of law has been replaced by the power of the strongest,” he remarked.
Seguro succeeds Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a conservative who leaves office at 77 after serving two five-year terms.
While the Portuguese presidency is largely ceremonial, Seguro’s leadership signals a commitment to political stability and international engagement.
Nigerians are facing yet another economic blow as petrol prices surge again. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has raised the gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N1,175 per litre, marking the third increase in just one week.
The latest adjustment, announced to marketers on Monday, follows a temporary suspension of petrol sales at the refinery on Sunday. Diesel, also known as Automotive Gas Oil, has also been revised upwards to N1,620 per litre.
ALSO READ: NNPC, Dangote Team Up to Power Nigeria’s Energy Future
A senior refinery official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the hike, noting that it reflects “prevailing market fundamentals and the cost environment we are currently operating in.”
Industry checks show that depot pricing systems have already updated the new rates, signaling an inevitable rise at retail stations.
In some cities, petrol is now being sold at over N1,200 per litre, adding pressure on Nigerian motorists and businesses alike.
This repeated surge comes after earlier increases that pushed gantry prices from N774 to N995 per litre earlier this week.
Experts warn that the hikes are likely to drive up transportation, logistics, and production costs, potentially impacting the prices of goods and services nationwide.
While the Federal Government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), is working to secure crude supplies for the refinery via international traders, officials cautioned that this may not immediately reduce prices for consumers.
African Club Football Gets Major Financial Boost as CAF Hikes Prize Money
Abramovich Clashes with UK Gov’t Over £2.35bn Chelsea Sale Funds
Global Crisis: Attacks on Schools Skyrocket 166% – UN Sounds Alarm on Children’s Safety
Appeal Court Deals Major Blow to Aiyedatiwa’s Re-election Hopes in Ondo
After Turbulent Elections, Portugal Swears In Seguro as President
JUST IN: Nigerians Reeling as Dangote Sparks Another Spike in Fuel Prices
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Things To Know About Threads, Zuckerberg’s Twitter-like App
