• Operation Kaveri: First Batch of 360 Indians Evacuated from Sudan arrived Delhi

    International
    Operation Kaveri: First Batch of 360 Indians Evacuated from Sudan arrived Delhi
    On Monday, warring factions in Sudan agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire, mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia, while countries are evacuating their citizens from the country.

    Digital
    Desk:
    Under
    "Operation Kaveri," the first batch of 360 Indians from crisis-torn
    Sudan arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.

    "India welcomes its
    own back." "#OperationKaveri returns 360 Indian nationals to their
    homeland as the first flight arrives in New Delhi," Foreign Minister S
    Jaishankar tweeted, along with arrival photos.

    The evacuation comes
    just days after Mr. Jaishankar spoke with his Saudi counterpart. On Friday,
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a high-level conference to assess
    Sudan's security situation.

    The government initiated
    "Operation Kaveri" to remove stranded Indian residents from Sudan,
    where the Sudanese Army and paramilitary groups are battling.

    On Monday, warring
    factions in Sudan agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire, mediated by the United States
    and Saudi Arabia, while countries are evacuating their citizens from the
    country.

    India has established a
    transit centre in Jeddah as part of its evacuation operation, and all Indians
    have been transported to the coastal Saudi Arabian city following their
    evacuation from Sudan.

    V Muraleedharan,
    Minister of State for External Affairs, is in Jeddah to lead the evacuation
    mission.

    On Saturday, Saudi
    Arabia announced the evacuation of 66 citizens of "brotherly and
    friendly" other countries, including a few Indian nationals from Sudan.

    According to the WHO,
    battles between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
    have killed at least 459 people and injured over 4,000.

    The nearly two weeks of
    urban battle have resulted in a large evacuation of foreigners, and the UN has
    warned of a massive new refugee catastrophe.

    Foreign governments have scrambled to create road convoys, planes, and
    ships to transport thousands of their residents out of Sudan, while citizens
    have fled overland to nearby nations.