New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday said around 1700-2000 Indian nationals have been moved out of conflict zone in war-torn Sudan. These include Indians in Port Sudan, and Jeddah, and evacuated Indians back to India. Kwatra was briefing the media about the ongoing Operation Kaveri here today.
Briefing about the situation in Sudan and updates on Operation Kaveri launched by India to bring back Indian nationals stranded in conflict-hit Sudan, FS Kwatra said, "We are constantly monitoring the situation in Sudan since the conflict began on April 15. We estimate that there are approximately 3500 Indians & 1000 PIOs in Sudan".
The operation was launched after violence broke out in the middle of April between Sudan’s military, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the country’s government paramilitary force, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Apr. 15. In reply to ETV Bharat's question on India's role in the Sudan crisis and if India is seen as a neutral party in the Sudan war, Kwatra said, "India is in discussion with both the stakeholders in Sudan. We enjoy good relations with all the stakeholders in Sudan. India stands for a strong development partnership with Sudan. They see Indian nationals as good citizens".
Also read: Operation Kaveri: 670 Indians evacuated from Sudan, 360 of them reach Delhi
He said that the situation on the ground remains volatile. Further, when asked if India is helping to evacuate foreign nationals from other countries, Foreign Secretary Kwatra said, "We have received requests for the evacuation of citizens of other countries from Sudan. This is subject to the fulfillment of the procedures".
Kwatra thanked the Saudi Arabia government for providing excellent support during the evacuation. So far, three Indian nationals have been evacuated by the Saudi govt. Meanwhile, MoS MEA V Muraleedharan on Thursday, 26 April received 297 Indians at Jeddah carried by INS Teg. "#OperationKaveri continues at a swift pace. Happy to receive 297 Indians at Jeddah carried by INS Teg. With this second ship and a total of six batches, around 1100 Indians rescued from Sudan have arrived in Jeddah. Repatriation to India of those arriving today will commence shortly", MoS MEA V Muraleedharan tweeted.
He informed in a tweet that 246 Indians will be in Mumbai soon, traveling by IAF C17 Globemaster. MoS MEA is in Sudan to overview the process of operation Kaveri launched to evacuate Indian nationals from the conflict-hit Sudan. It is pertinent to note that two C-130 of IAF have been constantly positioned in Jeddah and a third Indian Navy ship- INS Teg is currently being docked in Jeddah for the safe evacuation of Indian nationals.
EAM Jaishankar has spoken to Foreign ministers of US, Saudi, UAE, Egypt, UK when it comes to Sudan Evacuation operation. The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday said that a total of 670 Indian nationals from Sudan have been evacuated so far and it is looking at rescuing more of its citizens from the strife-torn nation before the end of ceasefire between the regular army and a paramilitary force.
