Sudan's Ambassador to India, Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom, said that his country is coordinating closely with Sudanese authorities and the ministry of external affairs to secure the release of an Indian national abducted by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the war-torn Al Fashir.
"We have been in close contact with India’s ministry of external affairs ever since reports emerged about the captured Indian national. Even before that, during the siege of one of the Sudanese cities, the ministry had reached out to us about an Indian citizen who endured very difficult conditions for 500 days," Eltom told news agency PTI.
The abducted Indian has been identified as 36-year-old Adarsh Behera from Jagatsinghpur district in Odisha. Behera was reportedly kidnapped from Al Fashir and likely taken to Nyala, an RSF stronghold in South Darfur.
Behera has been working in Sudan since 2022. According to NDTV, the family shared a video in which he was pleading to the camera, saying his situation is bad and that his family has been worried. He also asked the state government to help him.
According to Eltom, the situation in the country was very unpredictable. "We kind of know what we need to do. And we have seen what they are capable of doing. We hope that he will be treated well. And we hope that we can see him coming back safely soon."
On bilateral ties amid Sudan's humanitarian crisis, the Ambassador said, "India and Sudan have long-standing and deeply rooted relations. India has always been an important partner to Sudan—in times of peace and in times of war. During this ongoing crisis, India has extended humanitarian assistance to Sudan and continues to do so."
He said the Indian government has donated medical aid and food supplies to Sudan, "which the government appreciates."
—With PTI inputs