Lack of internet connectivity in war-torn Sudan has prevented hundreds of Nigerian students in the country from communicating and issuing updates on their level of safety.

FIJ had established and maintained contact with most of the students when the war started but on Saturday, they suddenly stopped responding to messages.

The reason for their inability to respond to messages was eventually made known on Monday, when NetBlocks, an organisation that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the Internet, confirmed that internet services in most parts of Sudan had been cut off a few days after the war began.

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“Sudan remains largely offline in the midst of an internet blackout, with connectivity at 2 percent of ordinary levels; the military allege that paramilitaries sabotaged the telecom exchange in Khartoum early this morning, impacting networks including Sudan,” read a tweet from the organisation’s official Twitter handle.

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Since the war broke out on April 15, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Sudan Chapter, had been active on Telegram, a globally accessible instant messaging service.

Before the blackout, FIJ had reached out to JVC Abubakar, the coordinator of the NANS Sudan Telegram group via WhatsApp.

During a two-day period, Abubakar had been online giving updates on the situation of things in the war-torn country. He eventually became unreachable on Saturday evening.

The last message on the NANS Sudan Telegram group was a reported response from the Nigerian government on Saturday.

The Telegram group has 1,118 active members on it.

On April 15, FIJ had sent a message to the Nigerian embassy in Khartoum to confirm the steps being taken to ensure the safety of Nigerians in the country. No response had been received from the consulate till date.