Our Thoughts

Hundreds of Indonesian students in Sudan had to put their studies on hold due to the ongoing war between two military factions in the country. Efforts to evacuate them are currently underway in stages.

Several Indonesian students have been forced to abandon their studies indefinitely due to the ongoing conflict between two military factions in Sudan. Given the worsening security environment, they are being evacuated back to Indonesia. The Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, stated in a message to Kompas on Tuesday evening (25/4/2023) that 542 Indonesians were en route by sea from Port Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “The second phase of evacuations is currently underway, moving people from Khartoum to Port Sudan,” he said.

Since Saturday (15/4), Sudan has been gripped by an armed conflict between two military factions: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. The SAF is led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, while General Hamdan Dagalo commands the RSF. Both factions were previously allies in a military coup in October 2021. However, disagreements over the transition of political leadership from military to civilian rule triggered violent clashes in several regions, particularly in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

As of Tuesday (25/4), more than 400 people have been reported dead. The deteriorating security has forced thousands of foreign nationals to flee the country. Governments around the world have been carrying out evacuation operations for their citizens since last week,

Data from the Indonesian Embassy in Khartoum shows that 1,209 Indonesian nationals were residing in Sudan, consisting of both workers and students. Of these, 827 will be evacuated in two phases, while the status of the remaining 382 remains unknown.

Muflih Hariman (22), an Indonesian student in Sudan, said in a call that he and other Indonesian students were already on an evacuation bus. The bus departed from the Indonesian Students Association in Sudan (PPI Sudan) headquarters in Arkaweet, heading toward Port Sudan. “The journey to Port Sudan takes about 12 hours. From there, the plan is that we will board a military aircraft to Jeddah,” said the student at the International University of Africa. He stated that seven buses transported around 200 Indonesian students and migrant workers. The air-conditioned buses arrived in Arkaweet at around 12.30 local time.

M. Hariman and other students had to wait for the buses for several hours. “Buses are hard to find here because every embassy is trying to evacuate its citizens. Thankfully, we were able to get out,” the student of Quranic Studies said. He had been waiting for evacuation for two days. When the Indonesian government announced the evacuation on Sunday (23/4), M. Hariman immediately prepared to leave Sudan. 

Following instructions from officials at the Indonesian Embassy in Khartoum, students were advised to pack lightly due to limited space for evacuation. “I only brought one backpack. Inside, I have three sets of clothes and five books. I had to leave the rest of my books and belongings behind,” he said. According to M. Hariman, logistics were also scarce during the war, as many shops had closed. Over the past two days, he had survived on just rice and instant noodles. 

As the eldest of three siblings, he regretted that his studies had to be put on hold indefinitely. He was in his seventh semester and was set to graduate this August. In fact, he had already been accepted into the Islamic University of Madinah. M. Hariman, who dreams of deepening his knowledge of the Quran and teaching it in his hometown of Makassar, hopes that the war in Sudan will soon end so that Indonesian students can resume their studies. “There has not been an official announcement from the university yet, but from what I have heard, the priority is for us to return home safely,” he said.

State Responsibility

In response to reporters’ questions, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, emphasised that ensuring the safety of Indonesian citizens is the government’s duty. “Rescuing our citizens is an obligation. I have been monitoring developments closely and coordinating with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi,” M. Mahfud said after a meeting with the Minister of Defence, Prabowo Subianto, in Jakarta. However, M. Mahfud claimed that his meeting with M. Subianto was not about the evacuation of Indonesians from Sudan, but rather a courtesy visit. Nonetheless, he stressed that the government is actively working to evacuate its citizens from Sudan.

Earlier, the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Adm. Yudo Margono, stated that evacuating Indonesian citizens from Sudan is a noble mission. Therefore, the deployed evacuation team must carry out their duties responsibly. “This is not the first time an evacuation mission has been conducted. The TNI has previously carried out similar operations, including in Afghanistan in 2021 and Ukraine in 2022,” he said.

A military analyst from Semar Sentinel, Muhammad Fauzan Malufti, believes that the government’s evacuation efforts were the right course of action. Even Saudi Arabia, which directly borders Sudan, only began evacuating its citizens last Saturday. “A government cannot simply dispatch an evacuation team and aircraft without proper planning. It requires careful preparation, including personnel and logistics readiness, as well as coordination with local authorities and other countries. Additionally, a humanitarian pause or ceasefire must also be considered,” he said.

Additionally, M. Malufti noted that this evacuation effort highlights the need for the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) to acquire larger and faster transport aircraft. Enhancing such capabilities would be crucial for improving response times and the efficiency of future evacuation operations.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Sudan has been extended for another three days, starting from midnight on Monday (24/4) or Tuesday (25/4) at 5am Western Indonesian Time (WIB/UTC+7). The agreement between the warring factions was brokered by mediators, including the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In addition to opening humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of foreign nationals and aid delivery to local communities, the ceasefire is expected to encourage both sides to negotiate. Previously, both factions had agreed to a three-day ceasefire from April 21–23 in observance of the Eid al-Fitr holiday. However, reports indicate that armed clashes continued despite the truce.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Khartoum faces a high biological hazard risk after one of the warring factions seized the national laboratory containing measles and cholera pathogens. The group also expelled the lab’s technicians and operators. This information was conveyed by WHO’s representative in Sudan, Nima Saeed Abid, during a teleconference from Sudan to journalists in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday. In addition to measles and cholera pathogens, the laboratory also stores the country’s national blood supply.

“Beyond the chemical hazards, the biological risk is extremely high because the generators are not functioning properly,” M. Abid stated.

WHO also criticised the warring parties for disregarding international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on healthcare facilities, including clinics and hospitals. The United Nations (UN) reported that the conflicting factions have carried out 14 attacks on various healthcare facilities, resulting in eight deaths and two injuries.

Kompas.id   |  Mahdi Muhammad and Abdullah Fikri Ashri