India begins ‘Operation Kaveri’ to bring back citizens stranded in Sudan

India has launched ‘Operation Kaveri’ to bring back its citizens stranded in war-torn Sudan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday, adding that the government is “committed to assisting all brethren in Sudan.” The minister also informed that around 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan so far, while more are “on their way”.

Also read: 10,000 refugees flee to South Sudan as conflict rages

“Operation Kaveri gets underway to bring back our citizens stranded in Sudan. Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home,” Jaishankar tweeted - sharing a picture of evacuated citizens.

Earlier on Sunday, the foreign ministry had said that India is making “every effort to ensure the safety and security of its citizens stranded in Sudan”. “We are 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.

Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the foreign ministry and the Indian embassy in Sudan are regularly in touch with the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and the US to ensure the evacuation of Indians from the war-torn country.

Also read: Countries rush to evacuate citizens from Sudan as conflict enters second week

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

According to the website of the Indian embassy in Khartoum, there are around 2,800 Indian nationals in Sudan. Along with this, there is also a settled Indian community of around 1,200 people - which has been in the country for nearly 150 years.

Meanwhile, five Indian nationals have been evacuated so far through a French Air Force flight and were brought to France's military base in Djibouti along with people of over 28 other nationalities, reported news agency ANI citing French Diplomatic sources. Along with this, three flights have brought approximately 500 evacuees to France's military base, it reported.