Jeddah — Operation Kaveri, which aims to rescue Indian citizens from the war-torn Sudan, was officially launched on Monday, according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, as various nations have made attempts to repatriate their citizens, the Sudanese situation continues to cause mayhem in the country’s capital city of Khartoum.
“Operation Kaveri is in progress to return our citizens who are stuck in Sudan. Nearly 500 Indians have arrived in Port Sudan, and more are en route. They will be returned to us in our ships and aircraft. Jaishankar said in a press conference on Monday. “We are determined to helping all our brethren in Sudan”.
“Our ships and planes are prepared to return them home. Committed to helping all of our Sudanese brothers”, he stated.
Additionally, according to French diplomatic sources, five Indian citizens were evacuated from Sudan via French Air Force aircraft and taken to France’s military facility in Djibouti along with citizens of more than 28 other countries.
The French diplomatic officials reported that “three flights have brought about 500 evacuees to France’s military base in Djibouti”.
The foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia reported on Sunday that more than 150 people, including diplomats and officials from other countries, had been evacuated from Sudan and arrived in Jeddah.
On Sunday, the Indian government provided an update on its emergency plan to remove Indians from Sudan. The Indian government was informed that two C-130J military transport aircraft were maintained on standby at Jeddah while several had been evacuated by Saudi Arabia and France, and that an Indian Navy ship had already arrived in Port Sudan.
According to the MEA, there have been numerous reports of violent fighting in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and the situation on the ground there is quite “volatile”.
The administration had stated on Friday that it was concentrating on the safety of the more than 3,000 Indian citizens who are currently residing in Sudan.
The MEA had stated that while emergency measures were in place, any movement would depend on the security environment, which remained tense despite reports of heavy fighting at several locations throughout Khartoum.
The army of Sudan and a paramilitary group have been engaged in deadly battle for the past 11 days, which has reportedly claimed 400 lives.
Contact details of MEA control room for Indians in Sudan
Phone: 1800 11 8797 (Toll free)
91-11-23012113
91-11-23014104
91-11-23017905
Mobile: 91 9968291988
Email: situationroom@mea.gov.in
