With the 72 hours ceasefire clocking ticking in Sudan, India is ensuring that it evacuates all its 3000 stranded citizens from that country. On Wednesday another batch of 135 Indians reached Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after being airlifted onboard Indian Air Force C-130J military Transport aircraft that took off from strife torn Sudan.
The US and Saudi Arabia had mediated the truce between the two warring factions on Monday, while various countries were engaged in evacuation operations.
Earlier in the day there were images on social media by the Ministry of External Affairs of Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, receiving the first batch of the 148 Indians who were evacuated on an earlier IAF C-130J flight which reached Jeddah. Meanwhile, INS Sumedha with 278 evacuated passengers onboard that had sailed across the Red Sea has reached Jeddah port.
“First IAF C-130J aircraft under #OperationKaveri from Port Sudan carrying 148 Indians landed in Jeddah,” tweeted MoS MEA V Muraleedharan.
A transit facility has been set up at the International Indian School, Jeddah. All the Indians who are being evacuated from Sudan will be received and put up there before being sent back to India. This facility is fully equipped with medical facilities, fresh meals, mattresses, provisions, toilets, WiFi, there is also a 24×7 Control Room.
Earlier this week on Monday, India launched its Operation Kaveri to bring back almost 3000 Indians stranded in the war torn African nation. So far more than 580 have been evacuated and have reached Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted that Indian Navy’s INS Teg indigenously built fourth class frigate joined Operation Kaveri, when it reached Port Sudan with additional officials and relief supplies for the stranded Indians.
Update on violence in Sudan
So far more than 400 people have been killed and several thousands have been injured and people are fleeing from Khartoum and other cities. The ongoing conflict involves the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is the main paramilitary force of Sudan. And there is now a possibility of a civil war breaking out across the African nation.
According to reports in the public domain Sudan has been under the control of a council of generals since the 2021 coup. At the centre of the ongoing dispute there are two military leaders: Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan the country’s president and head of the armed forces, and then there is his deputy, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. He also goes by the name of Hemedti, who leads the RSF paramilitary group. Both the generals have different views on the country’s future direction – especially regarding the proposed plan to shift to civilian rule.