Thick smoke rises above the southern suburbs of Beirut after an Israel strike on September 20, 2024. – The strike on Hezbollah’s stronghold in Lebanon’s capital Beirut reportedly killed at least eight people and wounded dozens of others, with a source close to the movement saying a top military leader was dead. (Photo by AFP)
The Federal Government has initiated plans to evacuate Nigerians residing in Lebanon who wish to return home amid the ongoing crisis in the country.
In a statement released by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Friday, the government confirmed it had convened a multi-stakeholder meeting to receive updates on the situation of Nigerians in Lebanon.
The crisis in Lebanon escalated in September 2024, with large-scale cross-border attacks resulting in over 1,000 deaths and 6,352 injuries in just two weeks, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
This brought the total number of fatalities to more than 1,800, with 9,100 injured since the conflict intensified in October 2023.
IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix reported that as of September 30, 2024, 346,209 people had been internally displaced, including over 31,000 families (137,000 individuals) living in 820 collective shelters.
Additionally, more than 175,000 Lebanese and Syrians have fled to Syria.
NEMA, in its statement, said it was coordinating the evacuation process, which has commenced with the mobilization of Nigerian citizens and would soon proceed with the necessary steps to bring them home.
“The leader of the Nigerian community, through a telephone conversation acknowledged the support by the Nigerian Mission in Lebanon especially in their safe movement out of high-risk areas, adding that no Nigerian life has been lost so far,” the statement read.
Nigerians willing to be evacuated are advised to report to the Nigerian Embassy in Beirut for profiling ahead of the airlift.
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