PM Modi chairs high-level meeting to review security of Indians in Sudan; Jaishankar, Kwatra attend

New Delhi [India], April 21 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation of Indians stranded in Sudan, where fighting between its army and a paramilitary force has left over 300 people dead.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra were among those who attended the meeting with the Prime Minister conducted through video conferencing.
Ambassador of India to Sudan B S Mubarak along with the envoys to Egypt and Riyadh also participated in today’s meeting.

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar were present at the meeting.

Secretary (Consular, Passport, Visa & Overseas Indian Affairs), MEA, Dr Ausaf Sayeed were also part of the high-level meeting.

At present, an unspecified number of Indians are said to be stranded in Sudan amid the military and political crisis. Thousands of civilians have fled Sudan’s capital Khartoum after fighting escalated in the region.

According to reports, over 350 people, including an Indian have been killed in the fighting so far.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar had on April 20 met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York and discussed the developments in Sudan.

“We had a very good meeting. Most of our meeting was on the Sudan situation. We also discussed the G20, and Ukraine conflict, but essentially it was about Sudan,” Jaishankar told ANI.

Jaishankar said that the Indian government is in continuous touch with its citizens stuck in Sudan.

“Our team in Delhi is in continuous touch with the Indians in Sudan, advising them, saying we know it’s very difficult for everybody but keep calm and don’t take unnecessary risk. I hope that the efforts will yield something very soon,” the EAM said.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the MEA is in contact with the Indian embassy in Sudan.

“This is an issue on which we are keeping a very close watch and the evolving situation there,” Bagchi said.

“Our mission in Khartoum is in contact the Indian community there through formal and informal channels. Our embassy has issued several advisories,” he added.

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 conflict began since a coup in 2021 between Sudan’s military leader and his deputy on the ruling council erupted derailing a plan for a transition to a civilian democracy after the fall of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Elections were supposed to be held by the end of 2023.