Since mounting an operation to rescue citizens stranded amid fierce fighting between the army and a paramilitary force in the conflict-torn African country, India has evacuated over 1,100 of its citizens from Sudan.
Vinay Kwatra, the foreign secretary for India, said reporters at a news conference in New Delhi on Thursday that hundreds more refugees have arrived in Port Sudan and will be returned home.
According to the foreign ministry, the Indians are being transported back to India from the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah aboard naval ships that are docked in Port Sudan.
The situation in the country of strife in Africa was described by him as “highly volatile.”
In recent days, as a three-day cease-fire offered some respite to the heavy fighting in Sudan, countries have been rushing to evacuate nationals and diplomats, including India. It’s expected to expire later on Thursday.
According to Kwatra, the previous 72-hour cease-fire is largely holding, but there have been reports of occasional gunfire and fighting in several areas of Khartoum. Because of the contradicting allegations made by both parties, the situation on the ground continues to be very unstable and unpredictable.
He described Operation Kaveri, which has been started to rescue the Indians, as a complicated operation that required moving people across an 850-kilometer land corridor from the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, to Port Sudan.
Trying to acquire buses and diesel fuel complicated efforts to ensure safety over the 12- to 18-hour road trip from Khartoum, according to Kwatra.
There are about 3,500 Indian nationals living in Sudan, and an additional 1,000 persons of Indian descent who have lived there for generations also wish to leave. Khartoum, where conflict is most frequent, is where the majority of Indians reside.
According to Indian authorities, they have been in contact with both sides of the conflict to arrange for the transfer of the population to Port Sudan’s comparatively secure location. The Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organization, and the Sudanese regular army have started fighting.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar tweeted, “India welcomes back its own,” as the first batch of Indians arrived on Indian soil on Wednesday.
As the first airplane lands in New Delhi, #OperationKaveri returns 360 Indian citizens to their country.
In an earlier statement this week, he declared that New Delhi is “committed to assist all our brethren in Sudan.”
Additionally, Indian authorities stated that they are ready to help other nations who desire safe passage for their citizens.
According to an Indian who was taken out of Sudan, “the fighting was fierce. We had a food shortage. Two to three days passed during the situation. He was not identified by the news agency.
