The Federal Government of Nigeria may start evacuating its citizens from Sudan on Tuesday morning, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman of the commission, said this in an interview with BBC Africa on Monday, amid concerns for Nigerians caught up in the conflict.

According to the official, it is risky to try to move thousands of people out of a war zone without permission from the opposing factions.

“We are hoping that by tomorrow, the first set buses will be leaving Khartoum (the capital), heading towards some borders in Cairo (Egypt capital), where we can airlift them back home.

“I know the Nigerian Association of Nigerian Students actually sent a message and told all of them to come somewhere, pay some fees, but that was a dangerous move.

“They’ve all returned back to base…there is a contact from the Nigerian Mission in Sudan. As soon as the buses are ready, most likely tomorrow morning, they will covey them safely and that is the keyword.

“By tomorrow, they will go to the borders in Cairo. Some have found their way to Ethiopia, we have seven documented. There were issues of not being able to get in but the Mission contacted the authorities,” Dabiri-Erewa added.

Integrity News reported that a ceasefire agreement was agreed among the warring factions in a deal brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia.

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Previous deals failed to materialise as warring parties failed to abide by them.

The Sudanese military, led by Abdelfattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed “Hemedti” Hamdan Dagalo, are locked in a power struggle.

The fighting has resulted in over 420 deaths, including 264 civilians, and over 3,700 injuries.

The ongoing violence has affected operations at the main international airport, destroying civilian planes and damaging at least one runway.