New Delhi, April 25 (). INS Sumedha on Tuesday evacuated the first batch of 278 Indian nationals from violence-hit Sudan, while another Indian Navy warship INS Teg also joined Operation Kaveri.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted that INS Teg has reached Port Sudan carrying relief material for Indians stranded in Khartoum.
He posted, INS Teg, involved in Operation Kaveri. Reached Port Sudan with additional officers and necessary relief material for the stranded Indians. The Embassy in Port Sudan will supplement the ongoing evacuation efforts by the Camp Office.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan also arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to oversee the preparations and receive the first batch of Indian nationals that had left Sudan on INS Sumedha earlier in the day.
On arrival in Jeddah, the Saudi Arabian team visited the control room set up to facilitate the evacuation of Indians from Sudan to join Operation Kaveri, Muraleedharan tweeted. Port Sudan and Jeddah both have the necessary infrastructure. The team is fully prepared on the ground.
The first batch of 278 Indian nationals embarked on INS Sumedha from Port Sudan on Tuesday and proceeded to Jeddah. The evacuation process named Operation Kaveri began on 23 April, apart from INS Sumedha, two Indian Air Force aircraft were sent to bring back stranded Indian nationals in Sudan’s capital, Sudan on 15 April between army and paramilitary forces. Civil war broke out after the clashes, leading to large-scale violence that killed hundreds of people, including one Indian civilian.
Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting with top officials on the current situation in Sudan. He had asked to prepare a contingency plan to evacuate the stranded Indians.
There are about 3,000 Indians in Sudan.
KC/SGK
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