500 Indians rescued from Sudan warzone as ‘Operation Kaveri’ gets underway

Kicking off a major evacuation exercise even as the situation continues to deteriorate rapidly in Sudan, India managed to rescue about 500 of its citizens from the warzone on Monday.  

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, currently on a tour of the Caribbean and Latin America, revealed that  ‘Operation Kaveri’ has got underway to bring back Indian citizens stranded in Sudan.

“About 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan. More on their way. Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home. Committed to assist all our bretheren in Sudan,” tweeted Jaishankar.

A city in the Red Sea that handles the majority of the country’s international trade, Port Sudan is about 800 km east of Sudan’s capital Khartoum.

In order to move swiftly, the Indian government continues to pursue multiple options and has kept two Indian Air Force C-130J on standby in Jeddah besides also moving Indian Naval Ship INS Sumedha to Port Sudan.

The Indian government said that it is making “all-out efforts” to ensure the safety and security of Indians stranded in Sudan.

This includes 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 of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Sudan are keeping in regular touch with not only the Sudanese authorities but also with the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and the United States among others.

In spite of repeated calls for a humanitarian, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire for the protection of civilians, the situation in the African country remains extremely volatile.

As reported by IndiaNarrative.com, France announced Monday that it has evacuated 388 people from Khartoum, including Indian citizens.

Titled ‘Sagittaire’, the French military operation is being carried out in support with the country’s forces pre-positioned in Africa, in particular the French Forces stationed in Djibouti (FFDj) which are providing reception to the evacuees.

French Air Force operated transport flights between Khartoum and Djibouti at the end of the day on April 23 and then again on Monday morning, carrying a hundred people on board each time.

Besides French nationals, those rescued included a significant number of citizens of 28 other countries, including Europeans (Germany, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Romania, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland), Africans (South Africa, Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan), Americans (United States, Canada) and Asians (India, Japan, Philippines).

The French Defence Ministry stated that the entire operation is being carried out in close coordination with its allies and the Djiboutian armed forces.

Also Read: Key ally France evacuates Indian citizens from Sudan warzone with Djibouti as fulcrum