An Indian national, Syed Farooq Basha, was shot dead by rebel fighters in South Sudan on Saturday, diplomatic sources have confirmed.
The incident occurred some 900 km from the South Sudan capital of Juba.
“Syed Farooq Basha was driving through the disputed region of Abyei, when he was shot dead in an attack that injured his driver. This is the first casualty of an Indian in the civil war, which began last year,” said a senior source at the Indian Embassy in Juba.
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Mr. Basha, who hails from Gangavati in Koppal district of Karnataka, was employed with Omaski Sai Infrastructure Co Ltd., which is involved in drilling wells for water in the region.
Abyei is an energy-rich region between Sudan and South Sudan which remains disputed. The identity of the killers of Mr Basha is not yet known though reports suggest that he was targeted by one of the rebel groups fighting the government of South Sudan.
“We have spoken to the family of Syed Farooq Basha and promised all help,” said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a social media post, responding to requests from his family.
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India launched “Operation Sankat Mochan” under the leadership of Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh, in July 2016 to evacuate nationals caught in the escalating civil war, however only 154 chose to be evacuated as hundreds remained behind as the civil war paused for a while.
A family member of Mr Basha told The Hindu from Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, that he was aware of the dangers involved but had handled it well over the last two years. “He had been staying there for more than two years and we knew of the risks. The rebels control some territory in that region and he had avoided them so far. But the incident has come as a shock for us,” said one of his relatives.
South Sudan is caught between a border dispute with its northern neighbour Sudan, and is facing an internal power battle between President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar.