Indians, forever on the lookout to migrate to unknown foreign lands for better opportunities, are cannon fodder for human traffickers.
One such port of call for the gullible is war-torn Sudan. Violence between the army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has left around 100 people dead, leading to a state of civil war.
That is bad news for “stateless” Indians, particularly for 31 people belonging to the Hakki-Pakki tribal community from Karnataka, who are stranded in Al-Ashir, 1,000 odd km from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
Appeals for help pouring in given the issue has acquired a certain degree of sensitivity because Karnataka is in election mode. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and former Karnataka chief minister K Siddaramaiah got into a Twitter spat, as the Congress leader urged the central government to immediately intervene and ensure the safe return of the group from the Hakki Pikki tribe.
The Indian Embassy in Khartoum has asked all nationals to stay indoors and take utmost precautions as gunshots and explosions rang out in various parts of the city following clashes between the army and the paramilitary forces.
What were the Indians doing in Sudan?
In a Twitter post, the Indian embassy said: “In view of reported firings and clashes, all Indians are advised to take utmost precautions, stay indoors and stop venturing outside with immediate effect. Please also stay calm and wait for updates.”
So, just what are these Kannadigas doing in a remote region of far-away Sudan, which is not as popular a destination as English-speaking Uganda and Kenya for Indians?
Former Indian ambassador to Sudan, Deepak Vohra, told Moneycontrol: “Human traffickers have always managed to con malleable Indians into migrating. During the period that I was the Indian envoy there between 2005-2010, we had innumerable cases of Indians being brought to Sudan and told that they could go to Dubai. There were many takers for such falsehoods.”
An Indian Express story on April 19 backed his claim. The newspaper interviewed Prabhu S, from Karnataka’s Hakki Pikki tribe, who is among several Indian nationals stuck in Darfur.
“I was born poor, but I don’t want to die poor. I wanted to provide a better life for my children, which is why we came to Sudan,” he said.
Prabhu, 36, from Davangere district, and his wife Soniya, 27, left India 10 months ago, while their four children – two boys aged 5 and 8 and two girls aged 10 and 14 – stayed back.
He told Indian Express: “From my father, we inherited 4.5 acres, but it was taken away by the government, which said it was forest land. My ancestors hunted and caught birds; we did not get any education. We thought of coming to Sudan so we can grow financially.”
No other choice
The couple sells ayurvedic products, for which they say demand in Sudan, and Africa in general, is high.
Prabhu said: “With no job in India, my loans crossed Rs 10 lakh. That was when we decided to work in African countries for five years. We took a Rs 3 lakh loan to buy air tickets and to transport materials to Sudan.”
Anil Kumar, another tribal man who runs a similar business, told the newspaper: “Our tribe has continued to be neglected, and we have no choice but to go to African countries for a living.”
“In a day, we could earn Rs 2,000- Rs 3,000. Despite the high cost of living, there is demand for Indian ayurvedic medicines here. When it comes to expenditure, we have to pay Rs 81 for 1.5 litres of water,” he added.
That appears to be the tale of many such Indians who are willing to go anywhere – just anywhere – to get out of the rut. The biggest problem now is how to get them out of Sudan.
“That should be top priority for the government and the Indian embassy,” KP Fabian, a former Indian diplomat, who coordinated the evacuation of over 176,000 Indian nationals from Iraq and Kuwait in 1990–91, told Moneycontrol.
Delayed deal
That’s a big challenge, given that the airport is non-operational for the moment and there appears to be no stable government in place. Commercial aircraft trying to land at Khartoum International Airport have begun turning around to head back to their originating airport.
Flights from Saudi Arabia turned back after nearly landing at Khartoum International Airport, flight tracking data revealed.
The clashes came as tensions between the military and the RSF have escalated in recent months, forcing a delay in the signing of an internationally backed deal with political parties to revive the country’s democratic transition.
Videos circulating on social media showed armed fighters advancing through residential areas against a background sound of intense gunfire, driving across the runway of the city’s international airport and operating checkpoints at major traffic junctions.
According to the official data, the number of Indians in Sudan is around 4,000, including 1,200 who settled down in the country decades ago.
In Ambassador Vohra’s estimate, however, the number of those settled in Sudan for many years is close to 20,000. Those on tourist and other work visas constitute about 2,000 or so, he said.
Either way, there appears to be trouble for the Indians trapped in the conflict. The Ministry of External Affairs is watching the scene carefully.
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