74 people who were evacuated from war-torn Sudan on Tuesday have been welcomed home to Ghana.
On board Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET921, they landed at Kotoka International Airport in Accra at precisely 11:20. Mr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, welcomed them.
With the aid of representatives from the Ghana Embassy in Ethiopia, the Ghanaian nationals—most of whom were students—had successfully crossed the border between Sudan and Ethiopia.
After being flown from Sudan to Addis Ababa, another Ghanaian individual opted not to return to Ghana, according to Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong, who was addressing the media.
"The government is giving the evacuees an amount of GHS 500 for their transportation from Accra to their various destinations," he stated.
Because the government did not pay for their education in Sudan, "We have informed them that the Government is not going to take responsibility when they decide to return to Sudan," he said.
According to the Deputy Minister, two other nationals who were employed by a mining firm along the border between Egypt and Sudan had already made their way to Ghana with the help of the company.
He mentioned another group of four football players who had crossed the Egyptian border and were already in Egypt, and he claimed plans were being made to get them securely to Ghana.
The government, according to Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong, has assembled a team of clinical psychologists to evaluate the evacuees, provide help to them, and provide follow-up care in situations of post-traumatic syndrome.
He said that there were preparations for the government to evacuate Ghanaians from Sudan, where the regular army and the paramilitary force were fighting for dominance and control of the whole country.
"Every Ghanaian on our records who came to our attention is safe," he added. "Our commitment is to get our nationals out of the circumstances and into a place where there would be less risk.
He expressed his gratitude to the several missions and embassies in Ethiopia and Egypt for assisting in the evacuation of Ghanaian people from Sudan.
The head of Ghanaian students studying in Sudan, Mr Abdul Aziz Abdul Karim, claimed to have rallied the Ghanaian students to stay inside and maintain quiet when the incident broke out.
"I completed my studies in Islamic Studies at the International University of Africa this past year.
When the clashes began, he was completing the paperwork for his certificate. "I hope the situation will improve as soon as possible and request that my certificate be sent to me," he said.
He praised the speedy coordination between the Ethiopian and Egyptian Embassies for ensuring their safe evacuation to Ghana.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation, erupted on April 15, 2023.
The two are squabbling over who will rule the resource-rich country, which is situated at the confluence of North Africa, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Red Sea.