India Sudan relations have been traced back to almost 5000 years during Nile Valley Civilisation and Indus Valley Civilisation. The pastoral people in North East Sudan known as Bejas claim to have originated from India.The Black Funj Sultanate with its capital in Sennar traded with India in silk, silver ornaments, leather and gold through Suakin Port way back in 1699.The first Indian trader from Rajkot arrived in Suakin in 1856. In the first decade of the last century, two steel suspension bridges which are still in use in Khartoum and Atbara were imported from India.In 1900 Indian experts started building Sudan’s forestry sector.
After Independence of both nations the bilateral relations strengthened and both the nations have been accommodative of each other’s concerns.
Many Heads of State and Ministers, both of India and Sudan have visited each other’s country from 1955 to recent times.
The India-Sudan Joint Committee, which was formed in January 1995, was upgraded to a Joint Commission at Ministerial level in June 1997. This happened during the visit of Ali Osman Taha who was the Foreign Minister then. The India Sudan Ministerial Commission first met in November 1997 at New Delhi and again in Khartoum in April 2000.
Subsequently, the first India Sudan Foreign Office Consultation between the two countries was held in September 2000 in Khartoum. The second in January 2001 in New Delhi and the third in Khartoum in December 2002 and the fourth in New Delhi in February 2005. The fifth round of India Sudan Foreign Office Consultation was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khartoum on November 28, 2013.
The Indian delegation was comprised of the Indian Ambassador to Sudan Mr. Sanjay K Verma, Mr.Sandeep Kumar Joint Secretary (West Asia and North Africa) of Ministry of External Affairs of India, First Secretary Mr.Subhash P.Gupta and Attaché Mr.Brahmam. They met Ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad (Director General of Bilateral Affairs), Ambassador Addil Ibrahim (Director Asian Affairs), Ambassador Gamal Elsheikh Ahmed (Director Arab Affairs), Dr. Emad Elddin Merghani Altohamy and Mr. Tarig Salih who represented the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sudan.
At this high level meeting, the consultation mechanism reviewed the current structure of bilateral relations in the different categories and issues of mutual concerns and interests both at a regional level and with a global perspective. The future bilateral foreign policy initiatives between the two countries were evaluated in order to further reinforce the existing relationship to its fullest potential. It was agreed upon to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultation at New Delhi in the second half of 2014.
To say the least, this writer found the Ambassador of India a very happy man at the end of the meeting.