Keep evacuation plan ready: Modi on Sudan
PM Modi held a high-level meeting to assess the risk to Indian citizens in Sudan where violence has killed over 400 people. The PM ordered contingency evacuation plans to be drawn up and for the situation to be monitored closely. There are about 2,800 Indian nationals in Sudan, many of them professionals working in key sectors. The US and Switzerland have also indicated they are preparing for possible evacuation of citizens and embassy staff.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a high-level meeting to assess the risk posed to Indian citizens in Sudan, where the military and a powerful paramilitary is locked in a battle for control since last week, leading to violence that has killed over 400 people and crippled the country’s main airport.
The PM ordered contingency plans to be drawn up in case India needs to evacuate its citizens, and asked for the situation to be monitored closely.
“During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi assessed the most recent developments in Sudan and received a first-hand report of the conditions on the ground, with a specific focus on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens presently located throughout the country,” the PMO said in a statement.
“Prime Minister Modi instructed all relevant officials to remain vigilant, closely monitoring developments and continuously evaluating the safety of Indian nationals in Sudan and extending them all possible assistance. The prime minister further directed the preparation of contingency evacuation plans, accounting for the rapidly shifting security landscape and the viability of various options,” the statement added.
On Friday, Sudan’s capital Khartoum was rocked by explosions and clashes for the sixth straight night, even as the Eid al-Fitr celebrations began.
Soldiers and paramilitaries fought fierce street battles in densely populated districts of the capital, with witnesses reporting bombs falling near the army’s headquarters in the city of five million, and essentials running short.
The US and Switzerland were other countries that indicated on Friday that they were preparing for possible evacuation of citizens and embassy staff.
According to the website of the Indian embassy in Khartoum, there are about 2,800 Indian nationals in Sudan, many of them professionals working in key sectors. A sizeable number of Indian businesspeople, who travelled to Sudan to finalise deals before the Eid holidays, have been stranded in hotels in Khartoum.
One Indian has been killed since the violence erupted on Saturday.
Modi took the meeting via video-conferencing, and among the attendees were external affairs minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, and the Indian ambassador to Sudan BS Mubarak, among other senior officials.
The PMO said Modi also emphasised on the importance of maintaining close communication with neighbouring countries in the region, as well as those with a significant number of citizens in Sudan.
Jaishankar has spoken to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians.
On Thursday, Jaishankar discussed the situation in Sudan with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and underscored the need for “successful diplomacy” for an early ceasefire and to create the ground for the safety and welfare of people in the African nation.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said the situation in Sudan was “very tense” and India is focusing on ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian community there.
The continued fighting between forces loyal to Sudan Army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and supporters of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has quashed hopes for a ceasefire.
Sudan’s military captured power in a coup in October 2021 and it has been running the country through a sovereign council since then.
There has been a dispute between the Army and the RSF over a proposed timeline for handing over power to a civilian government.
