INDIA on Monday launched ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate its nationals from violence-hit Sudan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India’s ships and aircraft are set to bring the Indians back home. “Operation Kaveri gets underway to bring back our citizens stranded in Sudan. About 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan. More on their way,” Jaishankar tweeted. “Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home. Committed to assist all our brethren in Sudan,” he said. India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the stranded Indians. The Government had on Friday said it was focusing on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens presently located throughout Sudan.

 

Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group for the last 11 days that has re p o r t - edly left a r o u n d 400 peopledead. As the fighting between the Sudanese Army and paramilitary groups intensified in the capital Khartoum, External  Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed that its ‘Operation Kaveri’toevacuateitscitizens from battle-torn Sudan is underway and about 500 IndianshadreachedthePort Sudan. India has launched “Operation Kaveri” to bring back stranded Indians from the war-torn Sudan. Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said, “Operation Kaverigetsunderwaytobring backourcitizens strandedin Sudan. About 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan. Moreontheir way.

 

Our ships and aircraft are set to bring thembackhome.Committed to assist all our bretheren in Sudan.” Earlier, on Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it has evacuated 66 citizens of “brotherly and friendly” foreign countries that included a few Indian nationals from the conflicthit nation. Theevacuationcamedays afterJaishankar spoke to his Saudi Arabia counterpart. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a high-levelmeeting toreview the security situation in Sudan