A 36-year-old Indian national, Adarsh Behera from Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district, has reportedly been kidnapped by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s conflict-ravaged Darfur region. Behera, who had been working at the Sukarati Plastic Factory since 2022, was abducted from El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and is believed to have been taken to Nyala in South Darfur, a stronghold of the RSF. The abduction highlights the deteriorating security situation in Sudan, where violent clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF have continued since April 2023.

A disturbing video verified by NDTV shows Behera surrounded by armed RSF fighters, one of whom mockingly asks him, “Do you know Shah Rukh Khan?” Another militant is heard instructing him to say, “Dagalo good,” referring to RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. In another video shared by his family, Behera pleads for help, saying he has been living in dire conditions and fears for his life. His wife, Susmita, has urged both the Odisha government and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to act swiftly, expressing concern for their two young children who await news of their father’s safety.

Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has publicly appealed to the central government for immediate intervention, urging the MEA to coordinate with Sudanese authorities for Behera’s safe release. Meanwhile, Sudan’s ambassador to India, Dr Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom, described the situation in Darfur as “highly unpredictable” but assured cooperation with Indian officials. The kidnapping comes amid escalating violence in Sudan, where the RSF recently captured El-Fasher — the Sudanese army’s last major base in Darfur — prompting international alarm over potential war crimes and humanitarian crises.