VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Until now, a civil conflictin Sudan has been going on between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces militia since April 2023. This affects the activities of various sectors in Sudan, including the activities of the Indonesian Embassy in Khartoum which has now been evacuated to the Port in Sudan.

Indonesian Ambassador to Sudan, Sunarko, said that the conflict impacts the relations between Indonesia and Sudan. In an interview with RRI Voice of Indonesia published on Tuesday (6/2), Ambassador Sunarko said that the situation in Sudan is an opportunity for Indonesia to show support for Sudan in improving relations between the two countries.

“...The armed conflict that occurred on April 15^th and is currently still ongoing certainly has had a huge impact and is a challenge itself for efforts to improve relations and cooperation between Indonesia and Sudan. However, even with the current situation, this is our great opportunity, our effort to show solidarity, show support, and show concern in the context of Indonesia-Sudan relations.”

Ambassador Sunarko further explained that so far, Sudan has demonstrated good relations with Indonesia. One of them is Sudan's support for Indonesia in various international forums, including Indonesia's candidacy or chairmanship in theforums.

Indonesia and Sudan have established good relations in various fields; one of which is education. Sudan has accepted around 900 Indonesian citizens to become university students in the country. Ambassador Sunarko also remarked that since the conflict broke out, majority of the students were forced to return to Indonesia and study online. He added that Indonesia views Sudan as an important partner. Therefore, in the field of education, Sudan receives quite a lot of support from Indonesia.One of them was when nine Sudanese students started studying in Indonesia last year through the Darmasiswa scholarship from the Indonesian government. Besides, there are also Sudanese students studying in Indonesia through other scholarships. Most of them take management, information technology, and architecture studies.

Ambassador Sunarko also pointed out that cooperation is also being carried out by sending Sudanese teachers to Indonesia. He said, this year, the Indonesian Embassy to Sudan is trying to get more Sudanese students to study in Indonesia.

“...This year, we are also trying to get more support, considering that the opportunity for Sudanese students to study in Indonesia is very high, especially because the conflict situation has not allowed them to continue their studies. So, this is a good momentum, the right momentum, for the Indonesian government to increase the number of Sudanese students who will get accepted for scholarships in Indonesia, both in the Darmasiswa program and in the cooperation programs of developing countries.”

In the trade sector, the trade volume between Indonesia and Sudan was recorded at US$143.4 million. Ambassador Sunarko revealed that Sudanese importers had started to look at Indonesia, as evidenced by the arrival of 22 Sudanese businesspeople to see Indonesia's export potential. He said that Indonesian products that had been developed in Sudan included vehicle accessories, sanitation products, textiles, and medicines.

Furthermore, Ambassador Sunarko remarked that the Indonesian government continues to encourage the expansion of cooperation to African countries, mainly Sudan. Therefore, Indonesia is trying to get the two countries to agree on a preferential trade agreement (PTA) so that the trade volume between the two countries continues to increase.