New Delhi/Khartoum: All Indians living in Sudan were on Saturday advised to take utmost precautions, stay indoors and not venture outside, following the clashes that erupted today between Sudan’s army and paramilitary forces.
The Indian Embassy in Khartoum, in an urgent notice also urged Indians planning to travel to Sudan to postpone their travel.
In tweets, it said:
“NOTICE TO ALL INDIANS
IN VIEW OF REPORTED FIRINGS AND CLASHES, ALL INDIANS in Sudan ARE ADVISED TO TAKE UTMOST PRECAUTIONS, STAY INDOORS AND STOP VENTURING OUTSIDE WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.
“Indians planning to travel to Sudan should postpone their travel.
“PLEASE ALSO STAY CALM AND WAIT FOR UPDATES.”
Amid the clashes, a passenger plane preparing to take off from Sudan for Saudi Arabia came under fire on Saturday amid the deadly fighting that rocked Khartoum.
The Airbus A330 bound for Saudi Arabia “was exposed to gunfire damage… with guests and crew on board” ahead of its scheduled departure to Riyadh, Saudia said in a statement.
The paramilitary forces said they are in control of the airport and the presidential place. However, the army rejected the claim.
The violence erupted after weeks of tensions between military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, over the planned integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the regular army.
That was a key element of talks to finalise a deal that would return the country to civilian rule and end the crisis sparked by their 2021 coup, which triggered a deepening economic crisis in the country located in northeast Africa.
Generals have been running the country, through what is called the Sovereign Council, since a coup in October 2021.
