Indian National Kidnapped by RSF Militia in Sudan: Adarsh Behera's Plea for Help Amid Ongoing Conflict

The man in the video has been identified as 36-year-old Adarsh Behera from Odisha.

New Delhi/Darfur:

An Indian national has been abducted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Sudan, a nation experiencing violent conflicts since 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. Sudan's capital, Khartoum, has been at the center of this devastating conflict that has forced over 13 million people from their homes.

A video provided to NDTV reveals an Indian man, identified as Adarsh Behera from Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district, positioned between two RSF soldiers, with one asking him, "Do you know Shah Rukh Khan?"

Another soldier behind him instructs him to tell the camera, "Dagalo good." 'Dagalo' refers to Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, or "Hemeti," the feared commander of the RSF.

Sources informed NDTV that Behera, 36, was kidnapped from the city of Al Fashir, approximately 1,000 km from Khartoum. From there, he was likely transported to Nyala, an RSF stronghold and the capital of South Darfur in southwest Sudan, roughly 1,200 km from Khartoum.

NDTV contacted Behera's family in Odisha, who revealed that the 36-year-old has been working in Sudan since 2022 for a company called Sukarati Plastic Factory. Behera's wife, Susmita, told NDTV that they have two sons, aged eight and three.

Behera's family shared a video with NDTV showing him sitting on the floor with folded hands, pleading into the camera, "I am here in Al Fashir where the situation is very bad. I have been living here for two years with great difficulty. My family and children are very worried. I request the state (Odisha) government to help me."

Attacking on camelback and in Toyota technicals, the RSF has captured the last government stronghold of Al Fashir after an 18-month siege. The International Criminal Court warned on Monday that the RSF's actions might constitute war crimes following reports of mass killings and rapes in the region.

"As you can expect, there is a complete communication blackout in Al Fashir. No one can contact anyone in the city right now. And we, of course, hope that he is not to be harmed or hurt by any mistake. This is 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," Sudan Ambassador to India Dr Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom told NDTV.

On March 22, the SAF recaptured the presidential palace in central Khartoum. However, an RSF drone attack on the palace resulted in the death of a military spokesperson and three crew members from Sudan TV, who were reporting on the SAF's advance.

The conflict also spread to North Darfur, where a clash between the RSF and the Darfur Joint Protection Force led to losses for the paramilitary group. The RSF launched the attack with over 700 vehicles but encountered strong resistance from the Joint Force. Reports indicate that more than 100 RSF fighters were killed, 30 vehicles were recaptured, and 17 others were destroyed.