The Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF are fighting
New Delhi:
The government has asked Indians in Sudan not to go to the Indian embassy in the country’s capital Khartoum, where fighting has been raging between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The embassy is open and working, but no staff is living there since the building is near the airport in Khartoum, which has seen intense battles between the Sudanese army and the RSF, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters today.
“We are counselling and telling them (Indians) how to stay safe. It’s an evolving situation. The embassy is functioning, but we have told people not to go in person there as that zone is seeing a lot of fighting. People don’t live there; nobody is inside embassy the building,” Mr Bagchi said, adding those who work at the embassy live in homes at the city.
Nearly 300 people have been killed since the fighting erupted Saturday. Some of the fiercest battles have taken place in Khartoum, home to five million people, most of whom have been cloistered in their homes without electricity, food and water, news agency AFP reported.
“We have some sense of how many Indians are in Sudan. We don’t want to get into numbers and locations because of security issues. We contacted some Indians after seeing their social media posts. We are keeping a close watch on the situation,” Mr Bagchi said.
Sources told NDTV India is in touch with Sudan’s army and the RSF for information on ceasefire, humanitarian supplies and how to ensure safe passage.
He said Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has gone to South America on an official visit and will give an update on the Sudan situation later.
Mr Jaishankar on Tuesday slammed Karnataka Congress leader Siddaramaiah for alleging the government is not doing enough to help Indians stranded in Sudan. “Simply appalled at your tweet. There are lives at stake; don’t do politics. Since the fighting started on April 14th, the Embassy of India in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian nationals and PIOs (people of Indian origin) in Sudan,” Mr Jaishankar tweeted.
The violence in Sudan entered the seventh day today after a truce unravelled yesterday, with the crackle of gunfire heard and columns of thick black smoke seen rising from buildings around Khartoum International Airport and the army headquarters in the capital.
The RSF had said its forces would “fully commit to a complete ceasefire” on Wednesday for 24 hours, as did the army.
But witnesses said gunfire did not cease in Khartoum from the appointed time and into the night, as another ceasefire was breached within minutes of its supposed start for the second time in as many days, AFP reported.
Source link: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/embassy-in-fighting-zone-avoid-it-centre-to-indians-stuck-in-sudan-3964778