Operation Kaveri: First flight carrying 360 Indians evacuated from conflict-hit Sudan lands in Delhi

The first special flight carrying 360 Indians who evacuated from conflict-hit Sudan landed in New Delhi on Wednesday night.

The flight was part of the Indian government’s evacuation mission ‘Operation Kaveri.’

Sharing pictures of the evacuees on Twitter, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “India welcomes back its own. #OperationKaveri brings 360 Indian Nationals to the homeland as the first flight reaches New Delhi.”

India welcomes back its own. #OperationKaveri brings 360 Indian Nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/v9pBLmBQ8X

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 26, 2023

Evacuation being carried out via Saudi

Under the ‘Operation Kaveri’, India is taking the evacuees to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah from where they are returning home.

India has set up a transit facility at Jeddah and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan is overseeing the evacuation mission from the Saudi Arabian city, PTI reported.

The first batch of 278 Indians was evacuated from Port Sudan by the Indian Navy’s frontline ship INS Sumedha on Tuesday.

India stepped up evacuation efforts after the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) declared a 72-hour truce following intense negotiations.

Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and US among others.

At a high-level meeting last Friday, PM Narendra Modi issued directions for the preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan.

Last week, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians.

On Thursday, Jaishankar discussed the situation in Sudan with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

With inputs from agencies

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