India begins ‘Operation Kaveri’ to bring back over 3,000 citizens stranded in Sudan

Gulf today Report

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 welcomes back its own. #OperationKaveri brings 360 Indian Nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi," External Affairs Minister S, Jaishakar wrote in a tweet late Wednesday, sharing pictures of the evacuees.

India launched 'Operation Kaveri' with Jaishankar assuring that the government is "committed to assisting all brethren in Sudan".

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According to "The Times of India" the country has begun a massive exercise named Operation Kaveri to bring back over 3,000 Indians stranded in Sudan. Two military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force evacuated over 250 Indians from Sudan , while a naval ship rescued another 278 citizens from the civil-war torn country.

The total number of Indians evacuated so far from Sudan stands at around 530, according to official data. The first batch of 278 Indians were evacuated by Indian Navy's frontline ship INS Sumedha on April 25.

According to the Indian Embassy in Khartoum, there are around 2,800 Indian nationals 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.

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.

The External Affairs Ministry had said that India is closely monitoring the complex and evolving security situation in 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.

Indians evacuated from Sudan arrive at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India. AP

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 has 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.