India Launches 'Operation Kaveri' to Evacuate Indians from Sudan

After Indian citizens made frantic appeals to the Indian government to help them flee Sudan over the past few days, New Delhi on Monday launched “Operation Kaveri” to evacuate the Indians stranded in the conflict-torn African nation.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said India has begun the process of evacuating Indians from Sudan.

On Monday, he tweeted: "Operation Kaveri gets underway to bring back our citizens stranded in Sudan. About 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan. More [are] on their way. Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home. Committed to assist all our brethren in Sudan."

The clashes in Sudan began when a power struggle between the country's top two generals — army chief and military ruler General Abdel Fattah Burhan and commander of the state-sponsored militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) General Mohammed Dagalo — erupted into warfare on April 15.

With military fighter jets bombing RSF positions in densely populated urban areas and both sides fighting pitched battles on the streets using guns and artillery fire, the violence is escalating. Tens of thousands of people, caught in an acute shortage of food, water and medicine, have fled their homes, according to the World Health Organization. More than 400 civilians have died and thousands have been wounded in the past nine days.

As Sudan rapidly descended into war, nations scrambled to evacuate thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers, who were stranded in the country.

With the Khartoum international airport lying in shambles, air evacuations have been limited. Some governments are attempting to evacuate their citizens by ship via Port Sudan, the country's main port on the Red Sea.

About 4,000 Indians live in Sudan.

Soon after the fighting erupted on April 15, some Indians sent appeals via Twitter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the foreign minister urging them to evacuate them and loved ones from the conflict zones of the African country.

"Hi @narendramodi sir, I am here (in Sudan) with my colleagues. Please do something to take us out of this situation. @DrSJaishankar," Rohan Bagul, an Indian stranded in Sudan, tweeted on April 15.

The appeals for evacuation prompted the Indian Embassy in Khartoum to open a telephone line that provides evacuation-related information to Indians in Sudan.

On Saturday, a stranded Indian in Sudan told the Indian news channel Mirror Now that the situation on the ground was "scary."

"We're not able to go outside. There is no power and water supply. This is the eighth day of the war in Khartoum and the miseries of the people are growing every day. We have just got a message from the Indian Embassy that they are planning to evacuate us," the Indian man told Mirror Now, in a phone interview.

A statement Sunday from the Indian Foreign Ministry said that two military transport aircraft from the Indian Air Force were on standby in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and an Indian Navy ship had reached Port Sudan with a plan to evacuate the Indians from Sudan.

"Government of India is making all-out efforts to ensure the safety and security of Indians stranded in Sudan. We are also coordinating closely with various partners for the safe movement of those Indians who are stranded in Sudan and would like to be evacuated," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Sunday in Delhi, "Our embassy is in regular touch with the stranded Indians in Sudan and is advising them on the viability of safe movement and the need to avoid unnecessary risk. It is also coordinating all possible assistance including possible exit from Khartoum city as and when the security situation permits safe movement."

Three Indians were evacuated Saturday to Saudi Arabia, along with 150 other people. Those three were crew members of the Saudi Arabian Airline aircraft that was fired on in Khartoum just after the fighting broke out. On Sunday, a French evacuation mission helped five Indians flee Sudan, along with citizens of 27 other countries. [VOA/JS]