NEW DELHI: Indian authorities on Tuesday began efforts to evacuate close to 3,000 Indian nationals from Sudan after the regular army and a rebel paramilitary force agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire, with Saudi Arabia emerging as a key staging ground for ferrying out stranded citizens.
A small number of Indian nationals have been evacuated from Sudan by Saudi Arabia and France over the past few days, and hundreds remain stranded in different parts of the country, mainly the capital Khartoum. About 500 Indians have gathered at Port Sudan, the country’s main port located more than 800 km from Khartoum.
Forces loyal to the Sudan Army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy-turned-rival, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), agreed to implement a 72-hour nationwide ceasefire from midnight on April 24. With the truce in place, Indian authorities were scrambling to ascertain the best options for getting stranded nationals out of Sudan, people familiar with the matter said.
Though two C-130J medium-lift transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were stationed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, it was not immediately clear if they would be able to fly into the airport at Khartoum, which has reportedly been damaged in intense fighting, the people said.
{{/usCountry}}Though two C-130J medium-lift transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were stationed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, it was not immediately clear if they would be able to fly into the airport at Khartoum, which has reportedly been damaged in intense fighting, the people said.
{{/usCountry}}“An assessment has to be made of the damage suffered by the airport. Besides, air traffic control facilities will be needed for the safe operation of flights,” one of the people cited above said.
The Indian side is also looking at the possibility of operating flights from military airbases located near Khartoum. “There is a military airbase located about an hour’s drive away from Khartoum and this is one of the options being considered,” the person said.
The US has used heavy lift helicopters to evacuate its diplomats and nationals from Khartoum in view of the fighting near the airport.
INS Sumedha, a patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, has already reached Port Sudan and can be used to ferry Indian nationals across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia. “The Indians gathering at Port Sudan can be taken to Jeddah, from where they can be put on flights to India,” the person said.
The people said Saudi Arabia, with which the Indian side had established close contact soon after the fighting erupted in Sudan on April 14, is expected to play a crucial role in the evacuation efforts. Given its proximity to Sudan, Indians evacuated from the war-torn country can be taken to Saudi Arabia by air or sea, before being put on to flights that can bring them home, the people said.
According to UN agencies, more than 420 people have been killed and more than 3,700 injured in the fighting so far. Tens of thousands of people, including Sudanese and foreign nationals, have fled the country in the past few days, with many of them heading for Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.
There is an acute shortage of food, water, medicines and fuel in Sudan, leading to a spike in prices of these commodities. Many areas in Khartoum are without electricity and have limited communications, including internet connectivity.
Despite the ceasefire put in place on Tuesday, there were reports of fighting between the warring factions in west Darfur.
The US said on Tuesday it will coordinate with regional and international partners and Sudanese civilian stakeholders to assist in the creation of a committee to oversee the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements. It will also continue to work with Sudanese parties and partners toward the “shared goal of a return to civilian government in Sudan”, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said.