Operation Kaveri: IAF aircraft and INS Ship to bring back stranded citizens from Sudan

New Delhi: With two Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J aircraft  ready in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and an Indian Navy ship INS Sumedha at a key port in Sudan, India has launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate the stranded Indians in the violence hit Sudan on April 24, 2023.

For over a week now, Sudan is being battered by two rival factions in a power struggle.At least 400 have died so far in a violent clash between army and a paramilitary group in the capital Khartoum. One Indian national has also died in the fighting.

Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar today said on Twitter that Indian ships and aircraft are set to bring Indians home. He further said that around 500 Indians are already in the Port of Sudan and more are on their way to get there to leave the country. 

Meanwhile, five Indian nationals have been evacuated so far through a French Air Force flight and were brought to France's military base in Djibouti along with people of over 28 other nationalities. Along with this, three flights have brought approximately 500 evacuees to France's military base, it reported.

Earlier, India said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the stranded Indians. 

The government had last week said it was focusing on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens presently located throughout the country.

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