Reluctant To Go Home, One NTB Student Chooses To Stay In Sudan

Governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Zulkieflimansyah. (ANTARA/Nur Imansyah).

MATARAM - A student from West Nusa Tenggara is still surviving to live in Sudan even though the Indonesian government has tried to evacuate him to return to his homeland.

"The information is that only one NTB resident is still there (Sudan, ed). But he is already in a safe place," said NTB Governor Zulkieflimansyah in Mataram, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, May 3.

The governor said the Indonesian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had tried to evacuate. However, students named Nadier are reluctant to return to their homeland because they feel they have experience while living in Yemen who are also in conflict conditions.

"He was asked not to go home because he felt he already had experience in Yemen. So the experience in the Middle East already exists, so he understands. But we can't force it either but others have gone home," he said.

According to Bang Zul, the nickname of the Governor of NTB, the provincial government (Pemprov) has never given approval or recommended scholarships to continue going to Sudan.

"There are two scholarships, one initiative from the Provincial Government and initiative from my own friends. But I don't recommend that Sudan be too much. Because Sudan's economic level compared to Indonesia, Indonesia is much better," he said.

However, his party also does not prohibit if there are students from NTB who want to continue studying anywhere, including Sudan.

"Indeed, there are aspirations of people who want to have experience there. We can't force them. But if we can help, yes, we help for school," he said.

Previously, as many as 42 Indonesian citizens (WNI) from NTB had returned to NTB from Sudan.

"A total of 42 Indonesian citizens from NTB from Sudan are already in the country along with other former Sudanese who are temporarily occupied in the Jakarta Hajj Dormitory. Under the coordination of the NTB Liaison Office in Jakarta, today 23 people have been returned to NTB in 2 groups from the three planned groups," said the Regional Secretary (Sekda) of NTB, Lalu Gita Ariadi.