3 min readBengaluruApr 18, 2023 08:08 AM IST
First published on: Apr 17, 2023 at 07:44 PM IST
The fight between the military and a powerful paramilitary force in Sudan has left at least 31 tribals from Karnataka stuck in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher.
S Prabhu, a resident of Channagiri in Karnataka’s Davanagere district, told The Indian Express over the phone that it has been four-five days that they have stepped outside their home, and frequent bombing and shell attacks are being reported in their neighbourhood.
“We are trapped inside a rented house with no access to food and drinking water facilities. Gunfire and shelling can be heard in the background. Nobody is responding to our problem and we are not sure how we will return to India,” he said.
Prabhu, 36, and his wife Soniya, 27, went to Sudan 10 months ago to sell Ayurvedic products, which have a significant demand there and in Africa at large. “We belong to the Hakki Pikki tribe. There are hundreds of Indians stuck in various places in Sudan. Leaving behind my young kids, my wife and I came here to earn our bread and butter. We did not know that Sudan was having these issues,” he said.
“We have not had food for three days. There is a water tank in the residential complex that is beginning to run dry. We have not taken a bath or used water for any other purpose than to drink. A wall of one of the houses in the complex has been hit during the crossfire,” he said.
Prabhu said five of those stuck are from Channagiri, seven are from Shivamogga, and 19 from Hunsur taluk in Mysore.
Fierce fighting erupted between the military and the country’s powerful paramilitary force, Rapid Support Forces, in Khartoum on Saturday, raising fears of a wider conflict in the chaos-stricken country.
The Indian Embassy in Sudan tweeted Sunday, “Advisory number 2 to all Indian Nationals in Sudan as on 16th of April 2023: Dear Indian Nationals in Sudan, Based on the latest inputs the fighting has not subsided on day two. We sincerely request all fellow Indians to continue to stay where they are and not venture outside.”
Manoj Rajan, Commissioner for Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, told The Indian Express he will escalate the matter with higher-ups to take further steps to protect the interests of Kannadigas stuck in Sudan.
A source in the disaster management that they have held a discussion with MEA officials about the ongoing situation. We have found 181 Karnataka citizens stuck and the MEA is chalking out plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan. Nothing has been finalised yet. Indians are not the target in the violence that is taking place, a source added.
Prabhu, who went to Sudan to sell Ayurvedic porducts, said five of those stuck are from Channagiri, seven are from Shivamogga, and 19 from Hunsur taluk in Mysore. 
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