First batch of 278 Indians leaves crisis-hit Sudan under Operation Kaveri

278 people onboard the ship departed Port Sudan for the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah

The Indian Navy’s patrol vessel INS Sumedha on Tuesday evacuated the first batch of 278 citizens of the country from the main seaport of conflict-ridden Sudan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

They are likely to be flown back to India on board one of the two C-130J military transport aircraft, which have already been on standby in the port city of Saudi Arabia since Sunday.

The Indian Navy also sent its frigate INS Teg to Port Sudan to evacuate the second batch of citizens of the country to Jeddah. The INS Sumedha will also sail back to Port Sudan after dropping off the first batch of evacuees to ferry the remaining Indians.

The Northeastern African nation has been witnessing fierce fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) loyal to his rival Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Though the SAF and the RSF had agreed to a ceasefire on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr, fierce fighting continued on the streets of Khartoum and other areas of Sudan.

“First batch of stranded Indians leave Sudan under #OperationKaveri. (The) INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departs Port Sudan for Jeddah,” Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, posted on Twitter on Tuesday. “INS Teg joins #OperationKaveri. Arrives at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians. Will boost ongoing evacuation efforts by Embassy Camp Office at Port Sudan,” he posted later on the day.

V Muraleedharan, the Minister of State for External Affairs, on Tuesday, reached Jeddah, where the Consulate General of India made arrangements for the evacuees to stay before boarding the aircraft to fly back home.

The Embassy of India in Khartoum has opened a camp office near Port Sudan, the main seaport of the country. The ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate Indians from Sudan was formally launched on Monday when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter to make public that about 500 Indians from Khartoum and other places were transported to Port Sudan.

Continued fierce fighting in violation of the ceasefire made it difficult to move the citizens of India from different places in Sudan towards the port on the Red Sea. The airspace of Sudan remained closed to all foreign aircraft. With the runways at the international airport in Khartoum being badly damaged on the first day of the fighting between the SAF and the RSF, the sea route was the only option for evacuation in large numbers. Most of the other nations also opted for the same route to evacuate their citizens.

The United States used military helicopters to evacuate its diplomats from its embassy in the capital of Sudan.