Although international calls for calm and peace have done little to quell the ongoing violence in Sudan, India has taken swift action to rescue thousands of its citizens who are currently stranded in the East-African nation. External Affairs Minister (EAM) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced on Twitter that the government has launched Operation Kaveri “to bring back our citizens.”
He announced that, as part of the operation, about 500 people have reached Port Sudan and more are on the way. Noting that Indian ships and aircraft are enroute to rescue them, the EAM affirmed that India is “committed to assist all our brethren in Sudan.”
Separately, PM Narendra Modi announced the start of Operation Kaveri while giving a speech in Kochi. He said the effort is aimed at rescuing thousands of Indians trapped in Sudan as fierce clashes continue between rival military factions.
Express my profound gratitude to Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji for making me part of the #OperationKaveri to bring back stranded Indians safely from Sudan.
— V Muraleedharan / വി മുരളീധരൻ (@VMBJP) April 24, 2023
As guided by Hon'ble PM, I will be leaving for Jeddah shortly to oversee our rescue efforts. pic.twitter.com/aiNpJORkyl
Modi noted that V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, will travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to oversee Operation Kaveri.
The announcement of the operation’s launch came a day after the Ministry of External Affairs stated that the Indian Air Force has positioned two C-130J transport aircraft on standby in Jeddah, and the Indian Navy Ship Sumedha has already reached Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
Almost 3,000 Indians are stuck in Sudan, where violent clashes are ongoing between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah El Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo or Hemedti, in a battle for power. One Indian national was shot dead in the clashes. So far, over 400 people have been killed in the fighting that erupted last week.