New Delhi: India safely evacuated 534 Indian nationals from strife-hit Sudan to Jeddah, via Indian naval ships and IAF aircraft, with more sorties to follow as part of Operation Kaveri. Later on Wednesday, 360 Indians took off on a flight to New Delhi from Jeddah.
Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, who is overlooking the evacuation efforts in Jeddha, said in a tweet that 360 Indians are on their way to New Delhi from Jeddah.
“Happy to see off 360 Indians at Jeddah Airport in a flight bound for New Delhi. They will be reaching the motherland soon, reuniting with their families
“Under #OperationKaveri the Government is working relentlessly to evacuate Indian nationals from Sudan & bring them home safely.”
The first batch of 278 Indians left Sudan for Jeddah — where a transit facility has been set up for onward journey to India—on Tuesday evening on board INS Sumedha, while two other batches, of 121 and 135 Indians, were flown to Jeddah on board two IAF C-130J aircraft later in the night.
India has set up a control room in Jeddah to oversee the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan.
More sorties are to follow to evacuate the over 3,000 Indians who were in Sudan when the fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary two weeks ago.
India has launched full-scale operations to evacuate its nationals taking advantage of the three-day ceasefire that the two warring factions in Sudan announced on Tuesday. The leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces have agreed to halt the fighting starting from Tuesday after “intense negotiation” over the last two days.
The ceasefire is meant to “establish humanitarian corridors, allowing citizens and residents to access essential resources, health care, and safe zones, while also evacuating diplomatic missions,” the RSF said.
