Operation Kaveri begins for the return of stranded Indians in Sudan; INS Sumedha reached Jeddah with 278 people
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After a 72-hour ceasefire in violence-hit Sudan, the evacuation operation of Indians has begun.
After a 72-hour ceasefire in violence-hit Sudan, the evacuation operation of Indians has begun. India is running Operation Kaveri to evacuate Indians from there. Under this campaign, the first batch of Indians stranded in Sudan left from Sudan. The spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs gave information about this.
He informed that under Operation Kaveri, INS Sumedha has reached Jeddah from Port Sudan carrying 278 people. EAM Dr S Jaishankar tweeted that I thank the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan and the Saudi Arabian authorities for their full cooperation.
Earlier, both the generals of the violence-hit South African country Sudan had agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave information about this. This ceasefire is going to happen after about 10 days of fighting, hundreds of deaths and exodus of a large number of foreigners. Even before this, an attempt was made to have a ceasefire in both the sides but it failed. Blinken announced that after 48 hours of intense negotiations, the Sudan Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces have agreed to a nationwide ceasefire. This ceasefire will start from the midnight of 24 April and last for the next 72 hours.
Five Indians were expelled yesterday
Earlier, on Monday, five Indian nationals were evacuated from Sudan by a French Air Force flight. French diplomatic source had given information about this. He told that about 500 people have been brought to the French military base in Djibouti through three flights. These people include Indians as well as people of more than 28 other nationalities.
How many Indians are still stuck in Sudan?
Evacuation of foreign nationals is becoming difficult due to violence, tension and unsafe airports in the country. Meanwhile, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is trying to take control of the main international airport in the capital, Khartoum. Around 3,000 Indians are among the stranded foreign nationals. At the same time, 48-year-old Albert Augustine from Kerala has died due to bullet injuries.
Very bad situation in Sudan
According to the United Nations agency, so far 427 people have died and more than 3700 people have been injured in the violence in Sudan. The dead included an official at the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum, who came under attack while returning home from his office. So far, more than 4 thousand people from different countries have been safely evacuated from Sudan. At the same time, residents of Sudan have also migrated in large numbers to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. People are facing shortage of water, food and medicines.
PM Modi had a review meeting
Let us tell you that on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a high-level meeting to review the security of Indians trapped in civil war-affected Sudan. In the meeting, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar also participated and apprised the PM about the current situation in Sudan.
This is the reason for the ongoing violence in Sudan
Recent violent incidents have their roots in the coup that took place three years ago. Indeed, in April 2019, longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir was ousted from power by military generals amid a rebellion. Since then the military has been running the country through a sovereign council. The army and RSF rivalry dates back to the regime of President Omar al-Bashir. The reason for the latest clash is that the Sudanese army believes that the RSF is a paramilitary force and should not be included in the army.
Can reach India today by Air Force's special aircraft
To expedite the evacuation, Naval Ship INS Teg has also reached Port Sudan with relief materials. Also, an Air Force transport aircraft C-130J has landed in Port Sudan. 20 people from Andhra Pradesh present in Sudan could not be contacted, while 34 people have reached Sudan Port. More than three thousand Indians are stranded in Sudan.
