India’s External Affairs Ministry under Dr S Jaishankar on April 24 launched ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate its citizens stranded in war-torn Sudan. He stated that around 500 Indians had already reached Port Sudan, and more were on their way.
He also mentioned that Indian ships and aircraft were ready to return them home. The external affairs ministry on April 25 said the first group of Indians stranded in Sudan left the conflict-hit nation in an Indian Navy warship. Monitoring of the vessel’s voyage confirms that INS Sumedha departed from Port Sudan at 14:30 India time on April 25 as it headed towards Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia.
It is speculated that around 3,000 Indians are stuck in the violence-hit African nation. Over 420 people have been killed and over 3,700 injured as fighting erupted on April 15 between armed forces Chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in Sudan, according to the latest report by the UN Office.
The external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted photos of the Indians aboard the INS Sumedha.
“First batch of stranded Indians leave Sudan under Operation Kaveri. INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departs Port Sudan for Jeddah,” Bagchi tweeted, with photos and a five-second video, where the evacuated citizens could be heard chanting ‘Jai Hind’ and waving the tricolour to thank the government for arranging for their evacuation.
“First batch of stranded Indians leave Sudan under Operation Kaveri. INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departs Port Sudan for Jeddah,” Bagchi tweeted, with photos and a five-second video, where the evacuated citizens could be heard chanting ‘Jai Hind’ and waving the tricolour to thank the government for arranging for their evacuation.
India sent two heavy-lift aircraft to Saudi Arabia and a ship to the coast of Sudan to begin the evacuation of Indian citizens who were caught in the conflict, the external affairs ministry said on April 23.
The Indian Embassy in Sudan said they are not only in touch with the Sudanese authorities but also with the UN, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and the US, among others. “The Indian officials in Sudan are in regular touch with the stranded Indians and advise them on the viability of safe movement and the need to avoid unnecessary risks,” the MEA stated, confirming that the two Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft are currently positioned on standby in Jeddah airport.
The Indian authority and Indian Embassy in Sudan are assisting the stranded Indians, including facilitating their possible exit from Khartoum city to reach Port Sudan when the security situation allows for safe movement.
Other nations are also scrambling to evacuate citizens from conflict-hit Sudan.
The US and the UK announced that they flew diplomats out of the country. France, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy and Spain also evacuated diplomats as well as their families and even citizens from other countries. The warring factions in Sudan have declared a 72-hour ceasefire and foreign nations who have their citizens caught in the conflict are eyeing it as an opportunity to rescue their citizens.
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