INDIA has put two C-130J military transport aircraft on standby in Jeddah while an Indian Navy ship reached a key port in the region as part of the Government’s plans to evacuate stranded Indians from violence-hit Sudan. Giving out the details, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said contingency plans for the evacuation of Indians have been put in place but any movement on the ground would depend on the security situation. It said the security situation in Sudan continues to be “volatile” with reports of fierce fighting coming from various locations in the country’s capital Khartoum. The MEA said India is makingall-out efforts to ensure the safety and security of Indians stranded in Sudan. “We are closely monitoring the complex and evolving security situation in Sudan,” it said.

 

“We are also coordinating closely with various partners for the safe movement of those Indians who are stranded in Sudan and would like to be evacuated,” the MEA said. Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan are also in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and the US among others. “As part of our preparations and in order to move swiftly, the Government of India is pursuing multiple options,” the MEA said. “Two Indian Air Force C-130J are currently positioned on standby in Jeddah. And, INS Sumedha has reached Port Sudan,” it said. GOVERNMENTSRACE TO RESCUE DIPLOMATS, CITIZENS FROM SUDAN: FOREIGN Governments evacuated diplomats, staff and others trapped in Sudan on Sunday as rival generals battled for a ninth day with no sign of a truce that had been declared for a major Muslim holiday. While world powers like the US and Britain airlifted their diplomats from the capital of Khartoum, Sudanese desperately sought to flee the chaos.