Ajit Karn
Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra announced on Thursday that India has deployed the third naval ship INS Tarkash for ongoing evacuation operations in conflict-ridden Sudan.
The Foreign Secretary made the above remarks during a Ministry of External Affairs media briefing on Operation Kaveri, which was launched by the Government of India to rescue Indians stranded in conflict-ridden Sudan.
“I’m informed that the third ship, INS Tarkash, has also reached Port Sudan today as part of our efforts,” Kwatra stated.
The Foreign Secretary informed the media about the progress of the rescue operation in Sudan, stating, “Two naval ships have been positioned as part of the Government of India’s efforts. The INS Sumedha was the first ship to arrive, picked up approximately 300 Indians yesterday, transported them to Port Jeddah, and is now back in Port Sudan to bring the next group of Indians to safe harbors.
Kwatra stated that the Indian government is making numerous efforts to rescue Indians from Sudan, including the establishment of control rooms in India and Sudan.
Kwatra stated, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a high-level meeting in which he personally reviewed and directed officials of the Government of India to take appropriate measures to assist and return these stranded Indians.”
In addition, the Foreign Secretary stated, “As part of our efforts, two C-130 aircraft of the Indian Air Force have been mobilized and are permanently stationed in Jeddah since April 19.” In addition, we have established control rooms in Jeddah and Port Sudan. Consequently, we operate two control centers alongside our embassy. Therefore, there is a complete triangulation of efforts between the control room in Jeddah, our consulate and mission in Riyadh, the control room team in Port Sudan, which is located on the northeastern coast of Sudan, and our embassy in Khartoum City.”
“Of course, each of these three hubs is coordinating their efforts and direction to return the stranded Indians, with the headquarters in Delhi,” he continued.
In addition, Foreign Secretary Kwatra discussed the current situation and ceasefires in Sudan. He stated that numerous cease-fires have been declared and that many of them have not been honored.
“There have been reports of intermittent firing. Kwatra stated that the situation on the ground remains extremely volatile.
Putting speculations about the number of Indians stranded in Sudan to rest, Kwatra stated, “Our estimation is that there are approximately 3,500 Indians.” These figures are approximations.”
Additionally, he stated, “I believe roughly 3000 people have already registered online. And approximately 300 more are in contact with Mission embassies. The focus of the Indian government’s efforts has been to advise and assist ordinary Indian citizens.
The Foreign Secretary also stated that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reached out to the foreign ministers of other major allies whose nationals were also stranded in Sudan.
“These included the Foreign Ministers of the United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, and last night also included the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom. This goes above and beyond. “His discussions with the UN Secretary-General on April 20 in New York centered solely on the situation in Sudan, with the goal of producing an assessment that would aid the Indian government’s efforts to repatriate standard Indians,” Kwatra said.
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The battling between the army and paramilitary forces has contributed to the violence in Sudan.
According to media, a 72-hour armistice was imposed to quell the conflict in Sudan, where more than 400 people have been killed.
