Navy ship evacuates first batch of 278 stranded in Sudan

New Delhi: As the ceasefire in the war-torn African nation appeared to be holding, India on Tuesday evacuated the first group of 278 Indians from Sudan aboard the naval ship INS Sumedha and hurried in critical relief supplies for its other stranded residents.

According to officials, the second ship in the Indian Navy's "Operation Kaveri" mission to rescue some 3,000 Indians from Sudan, the INS Teg, landed in Port Sudan to bring back additional people.

“First batch of stranded Indians leave Sudan under #OperationKaveri. INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departs Port Sudan for Jeddah,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

From Jeddah, India is set to bring back the Indians home in military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

In another tweet, Bagchi said INS Teg also joined the evacuation mission.

“INS Teg joins #OperationKaveri. Arrives at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians. Will boost ongoing evacuation efforts by Embassy Camp Office at Port Sudan,” he said.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group for the last 12 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.

India stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from Sudan as a 72-hour truce was agreed to between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following intense negotiations

The Indian Navy said its mission-deployed warship INS Sumedha was diverted for evacuation of the citizens stranded in Sudan.

Referring to the evacuation mission, Muraleedharan said necessary infrastructure is in place in both Port Sudan and Jeddah.

“Upon arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to join Team #OperationKaveri, visited the control room set up to facilitate the evacuation of Indians from Sudan,” he said on Twitter.

“Necessary infrastructure is in place in both Port Sudan and Jeddah. Team is in full readiness on the ground,” he added.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday announced the launch of the mission to evacuate ‘Operation Kaveri’ to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan that has been witnessing fierce fighting following a power struggle between the regular army and a paramilitary force.

India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in Jeddah and the naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the Indians.

Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Sudan have been in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and the US among others.

At a high-level meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued directions for the preparation of contingency plans to evacuate Indians from Sudan.

After the meeting, the PMO said Modi instructed officials to prepare contingency evacuation plans, accounting for the rapidly shifting security landscape in Sudan and the viability of various options.

Last week, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the ground situation in Sudan with a focus on ensuring the safety of the Indians.

On Thursday, Jaishankar discussed the situation in Sudan with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

With PTI inputs