“Embassy in Fighting Zone, Avoid It”: Centre For Indians Trapped in Sudan

The building is close to the airport in Khartoum, which has seen intense battles between the Sudanese army and the RSF, but the Indian embassy in Sudan is open and functioning without any staff living there, the government said.

There has been fighting between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who is in charge of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), near the Indian embassy in Khartoum, according to New Delhi.

According to a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, Arindam Bagchi, the embassy is operating but there are no employees living there because it is close to the airport in Khartoum, which has seen intense combat between the Sudanese army and the RSF.

“We’re advising and teaching them (Indians) how to stay safe.” It’s a fluid situation. The embassy is operational, but we have advised people not to go there in person because that area is rife with fighting. “No one lives there; nobody is inside the embassy building,” Mr Bagchi explained, adding that those who work at the embassy live in the city.

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Since the fighting began on Saturday, nearly 300 people have died. Some of the fiercest battles have taken place in Khartoum, home to five million people, the majority of whom have been confined to their homes without electricity, food, or water, according to the news agency AFP.

“We have a rough estimate of the number of Indians in Sudan. Security reasons prevent us from divulging names and addresses. After seeing their social media posts, we got in touch with some Indians. We are closely monitoring the situation, Mr. Bagchi said.

According to sources, India is in contact with the RSF and the Sudanese army to learn about a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and ways to ensure safe passage.

He claimed that Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had travelled to South America on business and would later provide an update on the situation in Sudan.

On Tuesday, Mr. Jaishankar criticised Siddaramaiah, the leader of the Karnataka Congress, for asserting that the government is not doing enough to assist Indians who are stranded in Sudan. “Just shocked by your tweet. Don’t play politics; there are lives on the line. The majority of Indian citizens and PIOs (people of Indian origin) in Sudan have been in constant contact with the Indian Embassy in Khartoum since the fighting began on April 14th,” Mr. Jaishankar tweeted.

After a cease-fire broke down yesterday, the violence in Sudan entered its seventh day today. Columns of dense, black smoke could be seen rising from buildings near the capital’s army headquarters and Khartoum International Airport.

The RSF and the army both declared that their respective forces would “fully commit to a complete ceasefire” on Wednesday for 24 hours.

However, witnesses claimed that gunfire continued in Khartoum from the scheduled time until well into the night because another ceasefire was broken just minutes after it was supposed to begin for the second time in as many days, according to AFP.