Last Updated: May 01, 2023, 01:17 IST
Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan under Operation Kaveri, upon their arrival at an airport in Mumbai, April 27, 2023. (Photo: PTI/Twitter)
The Indians were brought back from the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah where India has set up a transit camp for the evacuees
The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday announced that Operation Kaveri has facilitated the safe return of almost 3000 individuals from Sudan, even as battles rages in the African nation.
“IAF C-130J flight carrying 16th batch of evacuees takes off from Port Sudan. 122 passengers onboard this flight are en route to Jeddah. Nearly 3000 persons have now left Sudan under #OperationKaveri,” Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs.
The Indians were brought back from the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah where India has set up a transit camp for the evacuees. The first batch of 360 evacuees returned to New Delhi in a commercial plane on Wednesday.
Giving an update on Operation Kaveri, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that around 2300 people have reached India.
“#OperationKaveri developments. A C-130J Indian Airforce flight has landed in New Delhi with 40 passengers. With this flight, around 2300 people have reached India,” he tweeted.
India has been taking its citizens in buses from the conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to Jeddah in the IAF’s heavy-lift transport aircraft and the Indian Navy’s ships.
From Jeddah, the Indians are being brought back home in either commercial flights or IAF’s aircraft.
India has set up separate control rooms in Jeddah and Port Sudan, and the Indian embassy in Khartoum has been coordinating with them, besides being in touch with the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Delhi.
Deadly hostilities between the army and heavily-armed paramilitaries in Khartoum and other parts of the country have entered a third week.
More than 500 people have been killed and tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes for safer locations within the country or abroad since battles erupted on April 15.
On Sunday, Rival Sudanese forces announced the extension of a truce they have largely violated.
(With agency inputs)
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