Operation Kaveri: 278 Indians set sail from violence-hit Sudan onboard INS Sumedha

New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) India began evacuating its nationals from strife-hit Sudan with 278 Indians, including women and children, setting sail on board INS Sumedha from the Port of Sudan to Jeddah where two IAF C-130J aircraft are on standby.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet said:
“First batch of stranded Indians leave Sudan under #OperationKaveri.

“INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departs Port Sudan for Jeddah.”This comes as India on Monday launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate its over 3,000 citizens from Sudan.Around 500 Indians had reached Port Sudan yesterday and more are on their way, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

In a tweet, the EAM said that India’s ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home.On Sunday, the government announced that it has put two IAF C-130J aircraft on standby in Jeddah, while Indian Naval ship INS Sumedha had reached the Port of Sudan to evacuate Indian nationals.

The situation on the ground in Sudan continues to be volatile with reports of fierce fighting at various locations in Khartoum. Many countries have begun evacuating their diplomats and citizens from Sudan.