synopsis

The Indians who will be travelling to Jeddah in the INS Sumedha, according to official sources, would be flown back to India by the Indian Air Force.
 

New Delhi: India on Monday launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate Indians trapped in the conflict-torn Sudan where fighting has broken out between the rebel paramilitary groups and the Sudanese military. Over 500 Indians have arrived at the Port of Sudan, according to Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar.

Also read: Sudan crisis: India launches 'Operation Kaveri' to evacuate over 500 citizens stranded

More than 150 people from various nations reached Saudi Arabia on Saturday, in the first announced evacuation of civilians. There were citizens from 12 other nations there in addition to Saudi Arabia, including India. 

To lead the Operation Kaveri mission, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan has arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Indians who will be travelling to Jeddah in the INS Sumedha, according to official sources, would be flown back to India by the air force. The Minister flew to Jeddah after attending the Yuvam 2023 event in Kochi, Kerala along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala.

The army of Sudan and a paramilitary group have been engaged in a deadly battle for the past 11 days, which has reportedly claimed 400 lives.

Amid the evacuation process, two Indian Air Force C-130J have been positioned on standby in Jeddah.

Earlier, France evacuated 388 people from 28 countries, including Indian nationals.

India is also working closely with a number of its partner nations to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian nationals who are trapped in Sudan. The MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have regular contact with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and the US in addition to Sudanese authorities.

In the meantime, reports of violent fighting coming from several sites in the nation's capital Khartoum indicate that the security situation in Sudan is still "volatile". Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave instructions for the creation of backup plans to remove Indians from Sudan during a high-level meeting on Friday. 

Also read: Operation Kaveri: Rescue work still on after 51 hours

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