New Delhi – About 278 Indians have been evacuated from Sudan. India’s External Affairs Ministry has informed that the Navy’s ship INS Sumedha was entering Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia with 278 people on board. This has been the first batch of Indians that was stuck in Sudan and has been evacuated. After this, there have been moves to evacuate more Indians from Sudan. The number of Indians stranded in Sudan was said to be over 3,000.
India has been trying to bring Indians from different parts of Sudan to Port Sudan. By Monday, around 500 Indians had arrived at Port Sudan, of which 278 were transported from Port Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by INS Sumedha. From here, they will be brought to their homeland, for which Indian Air Force planes have already entered Saudi Arabia. Following INS Sumedha, the ship INS Teg also entered the port of Sudan, letting Indians be evicted from Sudan more quickly.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia and France have cooperated with India to evacuate Indians. At the same time, India had proposed evacuating Sri Lankan citizens from Sudan as part of ‘Operation Kaveri’, implemented to bring back Indians from Sudan. The Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka has welcomed this move and thanked India for its support. Meanwhile, a 72-hour ceasefire was imposed between the army and paramilitary forces to evacuate foreign nationals stuck in Sudan. Hence, vigorous efforts have been underway to evacuate citizens of India and other countries from Sudan.
Even during the ceasefire, there were reports of bloodshed in some places in Sudan. Therefore, it has become difficult for foreign nationals stuck in Sudan to reach the airport or port from their residence. Nevertheless, major countries have come together to put in efforts for the safe release of these citizens, and Saudi Arabia seems to be at the forefront.
