According to S. Jaishankar, the Indian External Affairs Minister, 500 Indians have arrived to board the INS Sumedha in Port Sudan, which has already arrived, a day after the government sent two IAF aircraft and a Navy Ship to rescue Indians stuck in tumultuous Sudan. It is expected that more Indians are going to board the ship before it returns to India, he said.
Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, is 850 kilometres away from Port Sudan. Over the past 11 days, there have been numerous reports of fierce clashes between the army of the nation and a paramilitary force in different parts of Khartoum.
The Navy ship option is being used, according to officials, because it has been difficult to evacuate Indians who are trapped in Sudan due to the closure of Sudan’s airspace.
Jaishankar, who is now in Guyana, declared that India’s ships and aircraft are prepared to transport the Indians back home as he launched “Operation Kaveri,” the evacuation effort. “Operation Kaveri is launched to return our citizens who are stranded in Sudan.
Port Sudan has received about 500 Indians. There will be more, Jaishankar tweeted. “Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home. Committed to assisting all our brethren in Sudan.”
In the meantime, as part of its evacuation operation, France evacuated some Indians together with nationals of 27 other nations.
On Monday, the French embassy in New Delhi reported the evacuation of 388 persons from 28 different countries, including India.
Evacuation efforts in France are in progress. Two military aeroplane rotations rescued 388 people last night, including Indian Nationals, from 28 different nations, the tweet stated.
However, it is unknown how many Indians France evacuated. Three Indians who were stuck in Khartoum as a result of being a crew member on a Saudi Aeroplane had previously been removed by Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed the government to start making preparations for the evacuation of some 3,000 Indians who were stranded in Sudan after ordering officials to prepare backup plans.
As part of their preparations, the Government of India is taking a look at a variety of options. Two Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft are waiting in Jeddah. The INS Sumedha had landed in Port Sudan, the MEA declared in a statement on Sunday.
Source: MarineInsight News
