Operation Kaveri: INS Teg departs from Port Sudan with 5th batch of 297 passengers

The fifth batch of 297 stranded Indians departed from Port Sudan for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia by INS Teg on Thursday.

“#OperationKaveri INS Teg departs from Port Sudan with 297 passengers. This is the fifth batch of stranded Indians enroute to Jeddah,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Earlier on late Wednesday, the MEA informed about the fourth batch of 136 stranded Indians that left Port Sudan for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia onboard an IAF C-130J aircraft.

“#OperationKaveri continues. 4th batch of stranded Indians departs from Port Sudan for Jeddah. IAF C-130J takes off with 136 passengers on board,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

The fourth batch of another 136 stranded Indians, aboard the IAF C-130J aircraft, left strife-torn Sudan on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, received the previous batches of the evacuated Indians as they reached Jeddah airport on Wednesday.

Earlier, the naval vessel INS Sumedha reached Jeddah port with 278 evacuated passengers.

As the fighting between the Sudanese Army and paramilitary groups intensified in the capital Khartoum, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed on Monday that its ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate its citizens from battle-torn Sudan is underway and about 500 Indians had reached Port Sudan.

India launched “Operation Kaveri” to bring back stranded Indians from the war-torn country.

Indian Navy’s INS Teg on Tuesday joined ‘Operation Kaveri’ to further facilitate the ongoing evacuation of Indians stranded in Sudan. The frigate on Tuesday arrived at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians, a senior MEA official said.

“INS Teg joins #OperationKaveri. Arrives at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Tuesday.

“Will boost ongoing evacuation efforts by Embassy Camp Office at Port Sudan,” Bagchi added.INS Teg is the fourth Talwar-class frigate constructed for the Indian Navy.

In a recent development, warring factions in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire on Monday after the US and Saudi Arabia mediated the truce while countries are engaged in evacuating their citizens from the country.