Breaking: Egypt refuses to open border, Nigerians travelling to Port Sudan

The Egyptian government has insisted on denying Nigerians fleeing the civil conflict in Sudan access to its borders.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, verified this to The Eagle Online.

In a Monday morning WhatsApp message in response to inquiries from The Eagle Online, Dabiri-Erewa stated that an alternate route had been pursued to transport the stranded Nigerians.

She stated, "They are now en route to Port Sudan, a journey that will take several hours, and from there we will fly them out."

"All heading to port Sudan."

The Eagle Online determined that a road trip from Cairo, the capital of Egypt, to Port Sudan will take approximately 23 hours and six minutes at a speed of 112 kilometres per hour.

The distance between Port Sudan and Cairo via car is 2589.02 kilometres.

Approximately 203 Nigerians are detained in Wadi Halifa, a city in the Northern State of Sudan, according to Dabiri-Erewa.

The Federal Government dispatched a Nigeria Air Force aircraft to evacuate the displaced Nigerians prior to these developments.

The C130 aircraft was on the ground in preparation for airlifting the Nigerians, as optimism grew that the Egyptian government would grant them passage visas.