Operation Kaveri: IAF flight with 47 passengers onboard lands in India

NEW DELHI: An Indian Air Force flight carrying 47 passengers onboard has landed in India, taking the toll of evacuees to 3862 persons under Operation Kaveri, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.

"An Indian Air Force C130 J flight carrying 47 passengers has landed in India. With this arrival, 3862 persons have been moved out of Sudan through #OperationKaveri," the EAM tweeted.

The EAM said that it was because of the commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the safety of all Indians in Sudan that led to this complex exercise.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, "Prime Minister @narendramodi's commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Indians abroad was our inspiration. Moving passengers to Port Sudan from various locations across the country in precarious security circumstances was a complex exercise."

The aircraft that brought back 47 Indian evacuees from Jeddah to Delhi took off earlier this morning.

"IAF C-130J aircraft with 47 evacuees from Sudan is on its way to Delhi from Jeddah Nearly 3800 persons have now been rescued from Sudan under #OperationKaveri," the MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted and informed about the same.

Earlier today, a group of 9 stranded Indian evacuees from Sudan landed in Mumbai from Jeddah. After returning from the crisis-hit country, evacuees expressed their happiness.

Salim, who returned to India, said, "I went to meet my relatives. I was stuck in Sudan for about 20 days. When I contacted the embassy there, they served me very well and quickly."

Meanwhile, Mubarak, another evacuee that returned to Mumbai said that the Indian embassy in Sudan has helped him a lot. "The Indian Embassy arranged food and gave shelter in its office. The Embassy also gave the bus service to go to Port Sudan," he added.

The two warring factions in Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a seven-day ceasefire, according to a statement of the foreign ministry of South Sudan on Tuesday, reported CNN.

Previous ceasefires haven't been able to put an end to the violence between the opposing factions across the nation.

Nearly nine days have passed since the Government of India launched its ambitious rescue mission, "Operation Kaveri" to evacuate stranded Indians in conflict-ridden Sudan.

The operation was carried out using 5 Indian Naval Ships and 16 Indian Air Force aircraft including one from Wadi Sayyidna military airbase.