Operation Kaveri: 1st batch of Indian evacuees from Sudan arrive in Delhi
The first batch of 360 Indians evacuated from Sudan has reached Delhi under “Operation Kaveri“, launched this week to bring back citizens stranded in the war-torn African nation.
India launched ‘Operation Kaveri’ with Jaishankar assuring that the government is “committed to assisting all brethren in Sudan”. The External Affairs Ministry had said that India is closely monitoring the complex and evolving security situation in Sudan.
As part of the operation, India has positioned two heavy-lift military transport aircraft in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in violence-hit Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate its stranded nationals.
“India welcomes back its own. #OperationKaveri brings 360 Indian Nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote in a tweet late Wednesday, sharing pictures of the evacuees.
Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying.
246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport.#OperationKaveri. pic.twitter.com/vw3LpbbzGw
— V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023
It has also set up a transit facility at Jeddah and all the Indians have been taken to the coastal Saudi Arabian city after their evacuation from Sudan.
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is currently in Jeddah to oversee the evacuation mission.
Earlier, France and Saudi Arabia evacuated some Indians along with citizens of other countries as part of their evacuation mission from Sudan.
“We are also coordinating closely with various partners for the safe movement of those Indians who are stranded in Sudan and would like to be evacuated,” the Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Indian Embassy in Khartoum, there are around 2,800 Indian nationals in Sudan, in addition to a settled Indian community of around 1,200 people that has been in the country for nearly 150 years.
Clashes between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary since April 15 have killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000, according to the WHO. The crisis has sparked a mass exodus of foreigners, while the UN has warned a giant new refugee crisis could be brewing.
[With Inputs from IANS]
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