'Operation Kaveri': India brings back another batch of 229 people from Sudan

Under the evacuation mission, 754 people arrived in India in two batches on Friday. The total number of Indians who have been brought back home from Sudan now stands at 1,954, according to official data.

New Delhi: India brought home another batch of 229 people on Sunday under its mission to evacuate stranded Indians from violence-hit Sudan. The fresh batch of evacuees arrived in Bengaluru, a day after 365 people returned from the African country to Delhi. "#OperationKaveri One more flight brings back 229 passengers to Bengaluru," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote on Twitter. Under the evacuation mission, 754 people arrived in India in two batches on Friday. The total number of Indians who have been brought back home from Sudan now stands at 1,954, according to official data.

The Indians were brought back from the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah where India has set up a transit camp for the evacuees. The first batch of 360 evacuees returned to New Delhi in a commercial plane on Wednesday. The second batch of 246 Indian evacuees arrived in Mumbai in a C17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday.

Under "Operation Kaveri", India has been taking its citizens in buses from the conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to Jeddah in the IAF's heavy-lift transport aircraft and the Indian Navy's ships. From Jeddah, the Indians are being brought back home in either commercial flight or IAF's aircraft.

India has set up separate control rooms in Jeddah and Port Sudan, and the Indian embassy in Khartoum has been coordinating with them, besides being in touch with the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Delhi. Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead. Jaishankar announced the launch of "Operation Kaveri" on Monday to bring back stranded Indians from the African country. (PTI)