Operation Kaveri: 3rd Batch of 135 Indians Leaves for Saudi Arabia

New Delhi: The third batch of over 135 stranded Indians left Sudan under Operation Kaveri. They left the violence-marred nation onboard the second IAF C-130J aircraft.

India launched the evacuation process named Operation Kaveri to rescue Indians from violence-torn Sudan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a tweet on Monday said, “Operation Kaveri gets underway to bring back our citizens stranded in Sudan. About 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan. More on their way. Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home. Committed to assisting all our brethren in Sudan.”

Two C-130 aircraft and the naval ship INS Sumedha are on standby to safely evacuate stranded Indians. According to the official data, the number of Indians in Sudan is around 4,000. S Jaishankar held talks with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE for assistance during the rescue operation.

Recent evacuation process could be started as Sudan’s battling generals have agreed to a three-day ceasefire after 10 days of fighting that has claimed the lives of over 400 persons. The US managed to broker this cease-fire between the warring factions.

In Sudan, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are waging a deadly power struggle across the country.