India in touch with 'Quartet', UN to ensure safety of nationals in Sudan

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, April 19

India is coordinating closely with several countries to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals in Sudan.

``The Quartet countries of the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have a key role and we are engaging them accordingly,’’ said a Foreign Office release, a day after a Twitter spat between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah over the evacuation of 31 people from Karnataka belonging to Hakki Pikki tribe who are stranded in Sudan due to the civil war.

Jaishankar has spoken to counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE who have assured their practical support on the ground. ``Our Ambassador in Washington DC and High Commissioner in London are in touch with their respective host Governments. We are also working with the UN, which has a substantial presence in Sudan,’’ said the MEA statement.

The detailed explanation from the MEA came after Siddaramaiah told Jaishankar over Twitter that ``since you are the External Affairs Minister. I have appealed to you for help. If you are busy getting appalled please point us to the person who can help us bring our people back.’’

Jaishankar had earlier said, ``Simply appalled at your tweet! There are lives at stake; don’t do politics,’’ to a Siddaramaiah tweet on Tuesday that tagged the PM, the Home Minister and the MEA seeking their immediate intervention to ensure the safe return of Hakki Pikkis tribals from Karnataka who are stranded in Sudan. The former Karnataka CM had also claimed that the Government is yet to initiate action to bring them back and urged New Delhi to immediately open diplomatic discussions to bring them back.

The MEA said in New Delhi that it has set up a dedicated Control Room and is in continuous touch with the Indian Embassy on the status of the Indian community. ``The Embassy in turn is in touch with the community and individuals through multiple methods including whatsapp groups. Situation on the street is very tense and movement is very risky at this stage. Our priority is safety of movement and wellbeing of individuals wherever they are located. While both the Ministry and the Embassy are continuously monitoring the situation, concerns of safety and security constrain us from putting out specific details,’’ it added.

Jaishankar too had told Siddaramaiah that since the fighting in Sudan started on April 14, the Indian Embassy in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian nationals and PIOs living there but their details and locations cannot be made public for security reasons. ``Their movement is constrained by fierce fighting that is ongoing,’’ he had said on Twitter.

``It is grossly irresponsible of you to politicise their situation. No electoral goal justifies endangering Indians abroad,’’ he had added.

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