The 74 Ghanaian nationals evacuated from the conflict in Sudan arrived in Accra on Tuesday. The evacuees arrived at the Kotoka International Airport aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight at exactly 11.20am and were welcomed by Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, the deputy minister of foreign affairs and regional integration.
The evacuees, mainly students, had successfully crossed the Sudan-Ethiopia border with the assistance of officials of the Ghana Embassy in Ethiopia.
Briefing the press after their arrival, Ampratwum-Sarpong said the government was giving every evacuee GHc500 for transportation from Accra to their various destinations.
He said, “We have informed them that the government is not going to take responsibility when they decide to return to Sudan because the government did not sponsor their education in Sudan.”
The deputy minister disclosed that a Ghanaian national decided not to return to Ghana after he was airlifted from Sudan to Addis Ababa.
Two other nationals who worked for a mining company along the border of Sudan and Egypt were already in Ghana with the assistance of the company.
Another batch of four footballers was in Egypt after crossing the Egyptian border. Arrangements are being made to bring them safely to Ghana.
Ampratwum-Sarpong said the government has put together a team of clinical psychologists to assess the evacuees and support them as necessary. They will also follow up on cases of post-traumatic syndrome.
The deputy minister stated that he would ensure that Ghanaian citizens are evacuated from Sudan, where the regular army and the paramilitary force are engaged in a battle for supremacy and control of the country.
He said, “Our commitment is to get our nationals out of the situation and into a state where there will be less risk.
“Every Ghanaian who is on our records or came to our attention was safe.”
He commended Ghana’s missions in Egypt and Ethiopia for helping to facilitate the evacuation of the Ghanaian nationals in the strife-torn north-eastern African country.
Abdul Aziz Abdul Karim, leader of Ghanaian students in Sudan, commended the swift collaboration between Ghana’s missions in Egypt and Ethiopia for their safe evacuation to Ghana.
Asaase Radio 99.5 broadcasts on radio via 99.5 in Accra, 98.5 in Kumasi, 99.7 in Tamale, 100.3 in Cape Coast and on our affiliates Bawku FM 101.5 in Bawku, Beats FM 99.9 in Bimbilla, Somua FM 89.9 in Gushegu, Stone City 90.7 in Ho, Mining City 89.5 in Tarkwa and Wale FM 106.9 in Walewale
Tune in or log on to broadcasts online: www.asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
Live streaming: facebook.com/asaaseradio99.5. Also on YouTube: Asaase Radio Official.
Join the conversation. Call: 020 000 9951 or 059 415 7777. Or WhatsApp: 020 000 0995.
#AsaaseRadio
#TheVoiceofOurLand
