Another batch of 246 Indians from the crisis-stricken Sudan arrived in Mumbai on Thursday under Operation Kaveri, Foreign Minister S Jaishakar tweeted, along with pictures of the arrival. On Wednesday night, the first group of 360 evacuees arrived in New Delhi from Jeddah in an commercial aircraft.
“Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai. 246 more Indians come back to the motherland,” Jaishankar wrote. On Wednesday, the first group of 360 Indians from Sudan arrived in New Delhi.
“I want to thank the Indian govt for bringing us safely. They made all arrangements including food. All things were perfect. We are happy,” said an Indian national who returned from Sudan.
Another #OperationKaveri flight comes to Mumbai.
246 more Indians come back to the motherland. pic.twitter.com/So7dlKO0z6
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 27, 2023
An elderly woman who returned from Sudan said, “Our country is great. May PM Modi live for 1,000 years.”
“Operation Kaveri” is a rescue mission sent off by the government to evacuate stranded Indian residents from Sudan where the Sudanese Armed force and paramilitary groups are battling.
#WATCH | Second flight carrying 246 Indian evacuees from Sudan, lands in Mumbai#OperationKaveri pic.twitter.com/4PTRZflZgo
— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2023
The plane, which took off from Jeddah around 11 am IST, arrived in Mumbai around 3.30 pm, an official said, according to PTI.
“Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying. 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport,” tweeted Union minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan minutes before the plane left for Mumbai.
Our efforts to swiftly send Indians back home from Jeddah is paying.
246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, travelling by IAF C17 Globemaster. Happy to see them off at Jeddah airport.#OperationKaveri. pic.twitter.com/vw3LpbbzGw
— V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) April 27, 2023
India’s citizens have been traveling to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in heavy-lift transport aircraft and ships under “Operation Kaveri” in buses from the conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan.
The bus ride from Khartoum to Port Sudan, which is approximately 850 kilometers away, can take anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, depending on the weather and whether the buses are operating during the day or night.
After the United States and Saudi Arabia acted as mediators, the warring factions in Sudan agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire on Monday. The truce came into effect while countries were working to evacuate their citizens from the country.
Under its evacuation mission, India has set up a travel office at Jeddah and every one of the Indians have been taken to the coastal Saudi Arabian city after their departure from Sudan.
What Is Sudan Crisis?
The violence erupted in Sudan due to a power struggle between two main factions of the country’s military regime, resulting in the death of more than 250 people and leaving approximately 2,600 others injured in Khartoum and other cities. The conflict involves the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the main paramilitary force. This situation has raised the possibility of a civil war breaking out across the country.
Sudan has been under the control of a council of generals since the 2021 coup, with two military leaders at the center of the current dispute: Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is effectively the country’s president and head of the armed forces, and his deputy, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who leads the RSF paramilitary group. The two generals have differing views on the country’s future direction, particularly regarding the proposed shift toward civilian rule.
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