Odisha man abducted by RSF Militia in Sudan returns home after 45 Days

After spending 45 harrowing days in captivity in conflict-hit Sudan, 36-year-old Adarsh Behera of Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district returned home on Wednesday, bringing immense relief to his family and prompting praise for coordinated diplomatic efforts by the state and central governments.

Behera was abducted from Al-Fashir city in Sudan’s North Darfur state, an area under the influence of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary militia locked in a brutal civil war with Sudan’s regular army. He had gone to Sudan in 2022 and was working as a mechanic in a plastic factory when he went missing.

According to Behera, he was held in captivity for over a month and subjected to severe hardship. “It is a rebirth for me. I never thought I would survive,” he said after arriving at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here. He alleged that his captors tortured him, denied him food for days, kept him in jail-like conditions and forced him to walk through jungle terrain. “They could have killed me at any time,” he told reporters.

There has been no official confirmation of any ransom being paid for Behera’s release. Authorities have not disclosed details of negotiations, citing the sensitive nature of hostage situations in active conflict zones.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the Odisha government treated the matter with utmost seriousness from the moment it was informed about Behera’s disappearance. In a post on X, Majhi said it was a matter of “immense joy” that the young Odia man was returning safely to his homeland. He said the state government remained in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to secure his release.

“We had been continuously coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs. Through the swift actions of the Government of India and cooperation with international mediators, Adarsh is returning to his family today,” the chief minister said, thanking the MEA and the Indian Embassy in Sudan for the successful mission.

A senior official said the Indian government worked through diplomatic channels and international interlocutors to secure Behera’s release, as direct access to RSF-controlled areas in Darfur is extremely limited. The MEA activated the Indian Embassy in Sudan and relied on back-channel diplomacy and third-party mediators to ensure his safe freedom and evacuation from the war-torn country.

After being released, Behera was moved out of Sudan and travelled from Abu Dhabi to Hyderabad late on Tuesday night, before reaching Bhubaneswar on Wednesday morning. He was received at the airport by his family, including his three-year-old son.

Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai said he had raised the matter in the Lok Sabha and urged the MEA to intervene for Behera’s safe return.

Behera’s wife expressed gratitude to both the state and central governments and appealed to the Odisha government to help her husband find employment within the state. “I request the chief minister to arrange a job for him in a plastic factory in Odisha so that he does not have to go abroad again to earn a living,” she said.

The chief minister reiterated that the safety and well-being of every Odia, whether in the state or abroad, remains the government’s top priority, especially in times of crisis.