KOCHI: Travelling 1,300 kilometres from Khartoum to Port Sudan in a van stuffed with people was the most challenging, tedious and horrific journey I’ve ever taken in my life, says Sheron Alappatt, who, along with her husband, Biji Alappatt, and three children, were among the 19 Malayalis who fled war-torn Sudan and arrived in Kerala on Thursday.
Now, back in their home at Edachira in Kakkanad, Sheron points out that the war was unexpected. “Sudan is a peaceful country. There was no indication of any unrest,” she says. After spending a vacation in Dubai, the family had just returned to Sudan and were trying to catch up on much-needed sleep.
“My husband was coming back to Kerala on leave. So we decided to join him in Sudan and then return home to Kerala on April 17. However, everything went crazy just two days before our departure, with the war breaking out on April 15,” she says.
That was the start of their many sleepless nights, she adds. “As soon as the war broke out, stores ran out of groceries and other essential items. Thankfully, I had some items with shelf-life, and we made do with it,” Sheron says.
“There was a lot of confusion. We were told that UN aid groups had arrived. So we tried contacting them. That was during the early days of the fighting. But as the situation grew more tense, we were told that they were unable to come.”
As for the evacuation plan, Sheron said, “Initially, we didn’t get any information. We were waiting for the Indian embassy to release some information. It was only later that there was some development. People were sorted into groups. But that was it. Nothing happened after. Everyone was giving some excuse or the other.”
Then, her husband, Biji Alappatt, contacted an acquaintance with the UAE embassy. “He assured us that he will get us on the UAE convoy. After that, everything happened very quickly. But the journey from Khartoum to Port Sudan was horror as we stayed away from checkpoints and dangerous areas,” she says. The family received five minutes to pack and leave. “I was told to pack only the bare minimum,” she adds. The family left behind everything and boarded the small vehicle for the safety that awaited them at Port Sudan. “I’m grateful that we all are alive and well,” she adds.
Lousia Alappatt, Biji’s mother, said the family was scared for their safety. “The place where Biji and family stayed was a high-risk area. Though they contacted us every day, we were worried,” Lousia said.
Meanwhile, the wife and daughter of Albert Augustine, an ex-serviceman who was shot dead in Sudan on April 16 following the violent conflict between the army and paramilitary, also landed in the airport. The deceased’s wife Saibella and their daughter Marietta, who landed at Cochin Airport in the morning, left for their hometown in Kannur.
The 360-member team of Indians was brought to India as part of ‘Operation Kaveri’. Minister V Muralidharan led the operations. The 19 Malayalis in the group were brought to Kerala at the expense of the state government, with effective action taken by the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA).