Kannur (Kerala) [India], May 20 : The last rites of Alavelil Albert Augustine, who died after being hit by a stray bullet during violence in Sudan, were performed at Nellipara Holy Family Church Cemetery in Kerala's Kannur district on Saturday.
Augustine, 48, a native of Alkode, was buried at Nellipara Holy Family Church Cemetery in Alkode, Kannur. The body was brought home at Alakode in Kannur district around 1.15 am on Saturday, the relatives said.
The mortal remains were brought through Indigo Airlines which reached Kozhikode airport at 9.15 pm on Friday night from Delhi.
Albert's brother-in-law Anoop T. John, relatives Vincent Mancheril, Sonny Mancheril, Baby, Abish, Albin and others had come to the airport to receive the dead body.
The body was brought home in a vehicle arranged by NORKA and was received by Albert's parents, Augustine and Mercy, wife Sybella, son Austin, daughter Marietta, sisters and other relatives.
According to the Indian Embassy in Sudan, the mortal remains were brought to India in a C-17 Airforce evacuation aircraft.
Albert Augustine was hit by a stray bullet and succumbed to his injuries on April 15, 2023.
Congress MP from Kerala's Kannur, K Sudhakaran on April 16, wrote to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar requesting his urgent intervention to repatriate the mortal remains of his constituent Albert Augustine who lost his life amid ongoing violent conflict in Sudan.
Heavy gunfire and blasts were reported following days of tension between the armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) also claimed at least 56 lives and left around 595 people, including combatants, injured, reported Al Jazeera.
The two sides have been competing for power as political factions negotiate on forming a transitional government after a 2021 military coup. The tensions stem from a disagreement between the military, headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, about how the paramilitary force should be integrated into the armed forces and what authority should oversee that process, according to Al Jazeera.
The military, 18 months after its coup, had promised to cede control to a civilian-led government this month. Yet, the process has been dominated by a rivalry between General al-Burhan and General Hamdan, also known as Hemeti.
The two generals have been openly criticizing one another in speeches over the past few months, and they have dispatched reinforcements and armoured vehicles to oppose military camps spread around the city.
Earlier, the Indian Embassy in Sudan urged Indians, planning a trip to Sudan, to postpone their plans.
The Indian embassy has issued an appeal to countrymen to suspend their ongoing plans to travel to Sudan.
In a tweet, the Indian embassy on Saturday wrote, "Indian planning to travel to Sudan should postpone their travel. Please also stay calm and wait for updates."
The embassy's warning came in light of clashes between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces.
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