Sudan crisis: Saudi Arabia to play key role in Operation Kaveri

Saudi Arabia is playing a very important role in the evacuation process and India has already established close contact since the fighting broke out on April 14

Jeddah: Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key country which is ferrying out stranded citizens from Sudan. The Kingdom is playing a very important role in the evacuation process and India has already established close contact since the fighting broke out on April 14.

Red Sea Port city Jeddah in Saudi Arabia has become a crucial point for foreigners in Sudan to escape and reach safe haven.

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Minister of State for External Affairs Muralidharan arrived here on Tuesday to oversee rescue Operation Kaveri at the control room in Jeddah. India has begun ‘Operation Kaveri’ – a rescue operation by the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force to rescue Indians stranded in the war hit African country. The control room was set up to facilitate evacuation and also ensured that necessary infrastructure was in place both in Sudan Port and Jeddah.

The Minister will receive the first batch of Indians evacuated from Sudan port and who boarded INS Sumedha and are headed to Jeddah and expected to arrive in late evening of Tuesday. From here they would be flown to India. The evacuees will be accommodated at Indian school in Jeddah.

There are 278 Indians on board this ship and there are close to 250 more who will be ferried to Jeddah,” according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Another ship, INS Teg also pressed into the rescue mission that reached Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies, according to officials.

Two Indian Air Force aircraft are parked in Jeddah to bring the Indians back to India. C130J aircraft has a capacity of 300 people so a few sorties would have to be made to India to bring the people back.