An Indian worker from Odisha, who went to Sudan with dreams of a better life for his family, has finally returned home after a terrifying ordeal that included imprisonment by a paramilitary group during the country's brutal civil war.
From Hope to Captivity: A Dream Job Turns into a Nightmare
In November 2022, Adarsh Behera, a native of Kotakana in Jagatsinghpur district, Odisha, moved to Sudan after accepting a job as a machine operator. He was hired by the Sukrati Plastic factory in Al Fashir, having previously impressed the owner while working for a related plastic company in Surat, Gujarat. The promise of a salary of around $1,000 per month offered hope for his seven-member family, which relied on struggling farm income.
His plans were shattered in April 2023 when civil war erupted in Sudan. The factory shut down after eight months of his work. "Since I signed a three-year contract, our owner asked us to stay back, expecting the war to end in two to three months," Behera recalled. However, the conflict dragged on. His salary stopped, though the owner provided free food and water for a year.
Struggle for Survival and Abduction
When the situation did not improve after a year, the free provisions ended. Behera was left to fend for himself in a war zone where prices for basic items skyrocketed. He survived on just bread and biscuits. His wife, Sasmita, back in Odisha, was forced to sell all her jewellery to send him Rs 2 lakh over the past year for food and medicine.
Fearing for his life as bombings and gunfire intensified around his accommodation in Al Fashir, Behera decided to find a safer spot on October 24. This decision led to his capture by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Darfur-based paramilitary group, who suspected he worked for the Sudanese army.
"They assaulted me on day one and kept me in a small room at Mina jail in Al Fashir," Behera said. His family received a voice message five days later informing them of his abduction, followed by a chilling video showing him surrounded by armed men. A small mercy came when one captor allowed him a mobile phone to contact his family via WhatsApp for five minutes daily.
Coordinated Rescue Effort Brings Him Home
The RSF informed him that only the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) could secure his release. His desperate family then approached Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the ICRC, and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for intervention. Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai also raised the issue in Parliament.
This coordinated pressure led to action. The Indian embassy in Sudan and the ICRC worked together to secure his release from captivity on Tuesday. A day later, on Wednesday, Adarsh Behera's nightmare finally ended as he reached the safety of Bhubaneswar.
Chief Minister Majhi took to social media platform X to thank the MEA and the Indian embassy. "The safety and well-being of every Odia, whether within the state or abroad, is the top priority of our govt. In times of crisis, we are always and forever by your side," he wrote, marking the successful conclusion of a harrowing international rescue mission.
