India is in touch with key nations to ensure safety of citizens in Sudan. India is coordinating with key partners in West Asia, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the US to ensure the safety of Indian citizens caught up in the intense fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary force in Sudan. “Evacuation of Indian nationals is under discussion and consideration by authorities in Khartoum. They are going to decide the best way to make it possible,” Sudanese ambassador to India, Abdalla Omer Bashir Elhusain told Zee News in an interview.
“We want to assure the Indian government that the competent authorities are taking all necessary measures to protect foreigners, including Indian nationals in Sudan,” said Ambassador Elhusain even as logistics issues remain, including the international airport in the capital being damaged.
One Indian, Kerala resident Albert Augestine, was among the 185 people who have died so far in the fighting and some 2,800 Indians are believed to be in Sudan, where violence between the regular army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started last Saturday.
Among the countries India is coordinating with are members of the so-called Quartet – Saudi Arabia, UAE, the US and the UK – that has been actively engaged in peace efforts in Sudan.
The situation on the ground is “very tense” and any movement at this stage is very risky, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Dr Jaishankar has tweeted about his conversations with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He has written that continuing contacts are helpful. The Saudi and UAE foreign ministers have assured EAM Jaishankar of their practical support on the ground, the HT reported.
India’s envoys to the US and the UK are in touch with their host governments, and the Indian side is also working with the UN, which has a substantial presence in Sudan.
The external affairs ministry has set up a control room in New Delhi that is in continuous touch with the embassy in Khartoum to get updates on the Indian citizens. The embassy is in contact with the Indian community and individuals through multiple methods, including WhatsApp groups, the HT report said.
Fighting between Sudan’s army and powerful RSF erupted in Khartoum and several other cities, derailing an internationally backed plan for transition to a civilian democracy and increasing the risk of civil war. The hostilities continued hours after an internationally brokered ceasefire was supposed to come into effect on Tuesday, with the two sides battling for key locations in Khartoum and accusing each other of violating the truce.
“While both the ministry and the embassy are continuously monitoring the situation, concerns about safety and security constrain us from putting out specific details,” the person cited above said.
