India starts evacuation from Sudan as conflict continues
The Indian Navy’s INS Sumedha is in Port Sudan. The warship is a stealth offshore patrol vessel constructed at Goa Shipyard Ltd, and is fitted with modern weapons and sensors, the officials said.
India on Monday started evacuating its citizens from strife-torn Sudan amid intense fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary force there, officials familiar with the matter said. India has codenamed the evacuation effort Operation Kaveri.
“Operation Kaveri gets underway to bring back our 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 brethren in Sudan,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar wrote on Twitter.
The Indian Navy’s INS Sumedha is in Port Sudan. The warship is a stealth offshore patrol vessel constructed at Goa Shipyard Ltd, and is fitted with modern weapons and sensors, the officials said.
Two Indian Air Force C-130J special operations aircraft are currently positioned on standby in Jeddah.
France has also kicked off evacuation operations. “French evacuation operations are underway. Last night, two military flight rotations evacuated 388 people of 28 countries, including Indian nationals,” the French embassy in India wrote on Twitter.
The ministry of external affairs on Sunday said it was making all out efforts to ensure the safety and security of Indians stranded in Sudan, and closely monitoring the evolving security situation there.
The induction of C-17 and C-130 aircraft into the IAF has phenomenally increased India’s global HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) reach, and it was demonstrated during Covid-19 relief operations, said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.
Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian Embassy in Sudan are also in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and US among others.
Contingency plans are in place but any movement on the ground is dependent on the security situation, which continues to be volatile with reports of fierce fighting at various locations in Khartoum, as previously reported. Sudanese airspace currently remains closed for all foreign aircraft, and overland movement also has risks and logistical challenges.
“Our embassy is in regular touch with the stranded Indians in Sudan and is advising them on the viability of safe movement and the need to avoid unnecessary risk. It is also coordinating all possible assistance including possible exit from Khartoum city as and when the security situation permits safe movement,” the MEA said on Sunday.
India is coordinating closely with different countries to ensure the safety and security of its citizens in Sudan. Among these countries are members of the so-called Quartet – Saudi Arabia, UAE, the US and the UK – that has been actively engaged in peace efforts in Sudan.
According to the website of the Indian embassy in Khartoum, there are about 2,800 Indian nationals in Sudan. There is also a settled Indian community of about 1,200, which has been in the country for nearly 150 years.
