Three weeks ago, when Maheen S reached Sudan's capital Khartoum, little did the 22-year-old know that he would be witnessing a civil war at close quarters. "On the first day, I woke up to the sounds of gunshots and bombing. I also saw a black haze erupting in the air," says the globetrotter from Kerala, who is still in the country.
Since April 15, a rivalry between Sudan’s top two generals has erupted into warfare, pitting the Sudanese army against a state-sponsored militia called the Rapid Support Forces. The brutal conflict between the two groups has killed over 400 people and injured thousands, pushing the African nation to the brink of collapse.
Maheen, who is on a world tour, arrived in Khartoum five days before the conflict began. He is a traveller who documents his adventures on the popular Malayalam YouTube channel Hitchhiking Nomad. Although he had visited a few war-torn countries, this is the first time he is witnessing an active battlefield.
"I was in Khartoum for the first 8-10 days of the battle. In civilian areas, there were continual explosions and shooting," he told us over a video call. As soon as the conflict began, Maheen got in touch with the Indian embassy.
WATCH : 'Survived without water & food, witnessed explosion': Indian traveller narrates ordeal in Sudan
He got a Google Sheet via WhatsApp to fill in. However, no further details on the rescue process were received. On April 25, Maheen left Khartoum. He eventually travelled over 200 kilometres to a safe zone. His next step is to leave the country.
"My journey through Khartoum was tough initially because of gunfights. During the day, somehow, I managed to hitchhike my way in small trucks with other people fleeing the combat zone. And I spent the nights at schools or mosques," he adds.
Asked if he regretted visiting Sudan, Maheen says, "Even though the situation is difficult and frightening, I do not regret visiting this wonderful country. My travel expertise is helping me in dealing with stress. It's also a learning experience."
Maheen had to travell 200 kilometres from Khartoum to reach a safe zone ( Photo @hitchhikenomad )Meanwhile, multiple evacuation operations are underway to rescue foreign citizens and embassy staff using various modes of transportation by road, air and sea. On April 24, India launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate its nationals from Sudan. The first batch of 360 Indians from Sudan arrived in New Delhi on April 26.
On April 27, about 1,100 Indians were successfully evacuated from Sudan's conflict zone to Jeddah where India has established a transit centre as part of its evacuation efforts.
