The Indian Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster heavy lift aircraft has returned 246 Indians to India from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after they were evacuated from Khartoum, Sudan. On Wednesday, the first group of 360 Indians was transported to Delhi via chartered flight.

Similarly, a number of Indian nationals continue to be transported to Jeddah by naval warships from Port Sudan, after being transported there by bus from the interior of the northeast African nation.

In the presence of Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, who was overseeing the India’s flagship evacuation mission – Operation Kaveri, those who were evacuated from violence-torn Sudan chanted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Indian Navy zindabad” among other slogans after reaching safety.

One of the evacuees aboard the heavy-lift aircraft en route to Mumbai thanked the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi while describing how they were evacuated from the Sudanese capital. “When we arrived in Jeddah, our jawans, who are our true heroes, provided us with comprehensive service and hospitality. We are now traveling to Mumbai, our residence. Before the C-17 Globemaster departed for India, the evacuee said, “We are all very grateful to the Prime Minister and the entire country.”

“It’s great to see you returning from Sudan,” the Union minister told the group of Indians who were brought to the Jeddah port. Additionally, he conferred with the Indians aboard a military transport aircraft.

According to foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra, over 1,700 Indian nationals have been evacuated from conflict zones in Sudan, and the government is focused on removing every citizen from danger as soon as feasible. Around 3,400 Indians had registered online with the government or maintained contact with the embassy in Khartoum.

Also read this:Sudan’s warring generals extend theoretical truce but keep fighting

There are presently 495 Indians in Jeddah and 320 Indians in Port Sudan. More Indians are being transported from Khartoum to Port Sudan on buses. Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J medium-lift aircraft stationed in Saudi Arabia and naval warships will conduct missions across the Red Sea to transport Indians arriving at Port Sudan to Jeddah.

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In theory, previous ceasefires lasted between 24 and 72 hours, but they were routinely violated in the mid-April conflict between the army and a paramilitary force.

South Sudan’s foreign ministry announced in a statement on Tuesday that mediation efforts championed by President Salva Kiir led both parties to agree to a longer ceasefire from May 4 to 11 and to name peace envoys.

It was unclear how army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, could make it work this time.

Tuesday, witnesses reported additional airstrikes in the communities of Omdurman and Bahri, which are located on the opposite bank of the Nile from Khartoum.

Al Jazeera, a pan-Arab television network, reported that Sudanese army warplanes were attacking RSF positions, with anti-aircraft fire audible from Khartoum.

Army aircraft have bombed RSF units entrenched in residential neighborhoods of the capital region. In Sudan’s western Darfur region, where the RSF emerged from tribal militias that fought alongside government forces to suppress rebels in a brutal 20-year-old civil war, the conflict has also spread.

The commanders of the army and RSF, who had shared power as part of a transition to free elections and civilian government supported by the international community, show no sign of backing down, but neither appears capable of achieving a quick victory.

REGION AT RISK

Protracted conflict may attract outside powers.

Hundreds of people have been slain as Khartoum, one of Africa’s largest cities, has been engulfed in fighting for the first time during the past three weeks. According to the United Nations, it has also created a humanitarian crisis, with approximately 100,000 people compelled to flee to neighboring countries with little food or water.

Aid deliveries were halted in a country where two-thirds of the population relied on outside assistance. As Sudan’s impoverished neighbors contend with a refugee influx, a broader catastrophe may be imminent.

“The entire region could be affected,” Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in an interview with a Japanese newspaper as a Burhan envoy conferred with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Tuesday.

The World Food Programme of the United Nations announced on Monday that it was resuming operations in the safer regions of the country following a pause during the conflict, during which some of its staff were killed.

Michael Dunford, the WFP’s East Africa Director, told Reuters that Port Sudan, where thousands of people who escaped Khartoum to seek evacuation abroad, is the primary entry point for aid.

As part of an international humanitarian endeavor, Kenya has offered its airports and airstrips close to the border with South Sudan.

“THE SITUATION IS A DISASTER”

Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) stated that it had delivered some aid to Khartoum, despite the fact that supplies sent to Port Sudan for other aid agencies were still anticipating safe passage to Khartoum, an 800 km (500 mile) journey by road.

Approximately 330,000 Sudanese have been displaced within Sudan’s borders, according to the United Nations Migration Agency.

“We lost the majority of our savings, our purchasing power decreased, and we have no sources of income… Hassan Mohamed Ali, a 55-year-old state employee, stated as much during a stopover in Atbara, 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Khartoum and en route to the Egyptian border.

“We endure power and water outages, and our children have stopped attending school.” What is taking place in Khartoum is horror.”

In addition, displaced Sudanese families have traveled hundreds of miles to Chad and South Sudan, sometimes on foot under the blazing desert sun.

U.N. estimates that 800,000 people may eventually flee.

In the past two weeks, more than 40,000 individuals have crossed the border into Egypt, but only after days of delays and after paying hundreds of dollars to travel the 1,000 km (620 miles) north from Khartoum.

Aisha Ibrahim Dawood and her relatives traveled five days in a rented car from Khartoum to the northern town of Wadi Halfa, where the women and children were crowded into the back of a truck and brought to a line at the Egyptian border.

“There is a great deal of red tape (to enter Egypt). Our tribulations are unprecedented. “However, we can endure anything, including the sounds of gunfire (in Khartoum) and the heat of the crowded truck,” she said.

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(Additional reporting contributed by Nafisa Eltahir in Cairo, Emma Farge and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva, Duncan Miriri in Nairobi, and Ayenat Mersie in Dollow, Somalia; writing by Angus McDowall and Mark Heinrich; editing by Edmund Blair, Nick Macfie, and Andrew Cawthorne)

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The Indian evacuees chanted “Bharat Mata ki jai” and “Vande Mataram” and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for rescuing them under Operation Kaveri from Sudan.

One of the Indian passengers described the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan. “Due to the ongoing conflict, it is now extremely difficult to reside in Sudan. In addition to the lack of food and water, bombardment and rocket launches are ongoing. None of us were leaving our residences. The mess hall was bombarded. A Sudanese electrician from Buxar, Bihar, who was evacuated from Sudan, remarked that it is difficult to flee and dangerous to travel by vehicle, as bus bombings are a possibility.

He praised Operation Kaveri and compared his evacuation from Sudan to “rebirth” because he had given up hope of surviving. “Had it not been for PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar, none of the Indians would have arrived in good health. From the bottom of my heart, I wish to express my gratitude. Bharat Mata ki jai, Modiji Zindabad,” he added.

In addition, he praised the Indian Army for facilitating their safe passage from Port Sudan to Jeddah. “When I saw them at Port Jeddah, we felt safe and knew we would make it to India unharmed. He added, “Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.”

Aiysha, a young girl evacuated from Sudan, also relayed her experience and expressed gratitude to the Indian government. “I feel calm. The situation in Sudan was ‘boom, boom, boom.’ I was terrified, as were my parents. She thanked the Indian government for its support and assistance.

“Operation Kaveri continues. 231 Indians arrive home safely as a second flight lands in New Delhi,” tweeted Jaishnakar.

“I have resided in Sudan for the past fifteen years. This is the first time we’ve encountered such a dire circumstance. They fired a rocket at my residence, which was very frightening. We requested evacuation from the Indian Embassy. They assisted us, and we were transported to Port Sudan by the Indian Navy. Navy personnel were extremely useful. When we landed in Jeddah, we received excellent air service. Mohammed Iqbal Hussain, a project engineer at a pharmaceutical company in Sudan, said, “The Indian government helped us in a time of need, and we are extremely grateful to the government.”

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Garud Commandos conducted a daring overnight operation to airlift stranded Indians, despite the fact that the airstrip in Sudan’s Wadi Seidna lacked a navigational approach, landing aids, fuel, and landing lights (which are necessary to direct an aircraft landing at night).

IAF C-130J aircraft rescued 121 personnel from a small aerodrome in Wadi Seidna, approximately 40 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan, on the night of April 27, 28 2023, according to an IAF statement.

Hussain stated that the situation in Sudan will not normalize anytime soon. “It will take a very long time, and now that Khartoum is finished, they are regressing twenty years.” They cannot rebuild in such a manner while suffering significant losses,” he added.

“Since returning to India, I’ve felt a great deal of relief; for the past 14 days, I’ve been in a state of trauma and apprehension because of my daughter. Even our homes were not secure, we constantly feared that bullets could strike us from anywhere, and we doubted that we would ever see our families again. Another Indian evacuee said, “I would like to thank the Government of India from the bottom of my heart for supporting us in such dire circumstances.”

Mos MEA V Muraleedharan reported on Friday that 2,100 Indians have arrived in Jeddah as part of ‘Operation Kaveri’.

Armed conflict between the army and paramilitary forces is causing carnage in Sudan. Despite the 72-hour moratorium, allegations of violence have been made.

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Soldiers loyal to Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary Rapid Support Soldiers (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, have engaged in combat.

India has deployed its military aircraft and warships in the war-torn country of Sudan to ensure that no Indian national is left behind.

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The central government launched Operation Kaveri in order to evacuate stranded Indian citizens from Sudan.

More than 250 indians were rescued by two IAF C-130 J aircraft from Port Sudan under operation kaveri.

Indian Air Force tweeted, “#OperationKaveri has taken to the skies! Two #IAF C-130 J aircraft evacuated over 250 individuals from Port Sudan. #HarKaamDeshKeNaam.”

The Indian Air Force has deployed its IAF Garud Special Forces to Port Sudan to ensure that no Indian national is left behind in Sudan.

A member of the IAF Garud Special Forces was spotted carrying an infant aboard a C-130J Special Ops aircraft while evacuating Indian nationals from Port Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

India has dispatched its military aircraft and warships to assist in the rescue of its citizens there as well.

Prior to this, on Wednesday, another 135 stranded Indians were rescued from Sudan.

V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, received the second group of 148 Indians evacuated as the first IAF C-130J arrived at Jeddah airport on Wednesday.

The naval vessel INS Sumedha with 278 evacuated passengers also arrived at Jeddah port.

“Operation Kaveri is in full effect. The second IAF C-130J flight from Port Sudan to Jeddah transports 135 additional passengers. This is the third group of evacuees under #OperationKaveri,” the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that 121 passengers had departed aboard an IAF C-130J.

However, the MoS MEA tweeted later that 148 Indians were evacuated in a second group.

“First IAF C-130J aircraft under #OperationKaveri from Port Sudan carrying 148 Indians landed in Jeddah,” tweeted V Muraleedharan, minister of state for external affairs.

On Tuesday, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs inspected the transit facility at the International Indian School in Jeddah, where Indians evacuated from Sudan will be greeted and housed for a short period of time prior to their arrival in India.

“Inspected transit facility @IndianPage, Jeddah, where Indians evacuated from Sudan will be received and housed for a limited period prior to their departure for India. It includes mattresses, provisions, fresh meals, restrooms, medical facilities, and WiFi. Has a 24X7 control room. #OperationKaveri,” the Ministry of State tweeted.

As combat intensified between the Sudanese Army and paramilitary groups in the capital city of Khartoum on Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced that India’s “Operation Kaveri” to evacuate its citizens from war-torn Sudan is underway and that approximately 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan.

INS Teg joined ‘Operation Kaveri’ on Tuesday to further facilitate the ongoing evacuation of displaced Indians in Sudan. According to a senior MEA official, the frigate arrived at Port Sudan on Tuesday with additional officials and essential relief provisions for stranded Indians.

“INS Teg joins #OperationKaveri. Arrives at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians,” tweeted the official spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday.

“Will boost ongoing evacuation efforts by the Embassy Camp Office in Port Sudan,” Bagchi added. The INS Teg is the fourth frigate of the Talwar-class constructed for the Indian Navy.

Also read this:IAF takes charge; C-130J aircraft landed in Port Sudan for evacuation operations

In a recent development, warring factions in Sudan consented to a 72-hour ceasefire on Monday, mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia, while countries continue to evacuate their citizens.

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413 people have died and 3,551 injuries, in sudan conflict according to the Sudanese government, WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris reported at a UN press conference.

The battling is a continuation of ongoing clashes between the country’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

She reported 11 confirmed assaults on healthcare facilities, including 10 since April 15.

“According to the Sudanese Ministry of Health, twenty health facilities have ceased operations. In addition, according to Ministry of Health data, 12 health facilities are at risk of closing,” said Harris.

The WHO spokesperson was quoted by Anadolu as saying, “This means that all those people who require care are impacted, and this includes not only those who have been injured by hearings and terrible fighting, but also those who required treatment before and will require treatment in the future.”

At the same press conference, James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF, stated, “As always, the violence has a devastating impact on children.

There are now allegations of at least nine children killed and at least fifty children injured. As long as fighting persists, these figures will continue to rise,” he added.

A significant number of people are reportedly trapped without access to electricity, according to Elder, as reported by Anadolu.

“They are terrified of running out of food, water, and medicine,” he said, adding, “One of our greatest concerns involves hospitals that have been burned.”

Elder stated that Sudan already had one of the highest infant malnutrition rates in the world.

The UNICEF spokesperson stated, “We now have a situation where critical life-saving aid for approximately 50,000 children is at risk.”

Elder stated that the conflict also threatens “the cold chain” in Sudan, including vaccines and insulin worth over USD 40 million, due to power outages and the inability to refuel generators.

Anadolu reported that UNICEF has received reports of children taking refuge in schools and care centers as fighting rages around them and of children’s hospitals being forced to evacuate as bombardment approaches.

Elder stated that prior to the escalation of violence in Sudan, the humanitarian requirements of the country’s children were high, with an estimated three-quarters of children living in extreme poverty.

Simultaneously, 11.5 million children and community members required emergency water and sanitation services, 7 million children were out of school, and over 600,000 children were severely malnourished.

Anadolu reported on Saturday that fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in and around the capital Khartoum.

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In October 2021, the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and proclaimed a state of emergency in what political forces termed a “coup.”

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