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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that the Indian government through its evacuation operation in Sudan and Ukraine has proved that India will never leave its people behind during a crises.

While speaking about the latest developments in India’s Foreign Policy in Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar spoke about Operation Kaveri which was launched to evacuate Indian nationals from Sudan. He said that 4075 Indian nationals were safely evacuated from Sudan when armed clashes broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
He was giving a suo moto statement in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday on India’s foreign policy in the past few months and said, “On 15 April 2023, an armed conflict broke out between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In order to protect and evacuate the Indian citizens from Sudan, Operation Kaveri was launched on 24 April, 2023. Indian nationals were brought to Port Sudan from different conflict zones and then ferried to Jeddah, using Indian Air Force aircraft and Indian Naval ships.”

“During Operation Kaveri, like Operation Ganga, we not only evacuated thousands of Indians, but also assisted in the evacuation of citizens from other countries who sought our assistance,” he said.

At the end of the Operation, 4075 Indian nationals were safely evacuated. During such a difficult and challenging endeavour, “our diplomats and our armed forces displayed exemplary courage”

He pointed out that during movements in the midst of firing, the landing of an aircraft was very challenging.

“Through this massive evacuation exercise, we have proven once again that India will never leave its people behind during a crisis- be it in Ukraine last year, or in Sudan in this one,” he added.

Notably, Operation Ganga was an evacuation mission carried out by the Indian government to rescue its citizens stranded in Ukraine when the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv started on February 24, 2022. Similarly, this year, the Indian government launched Operation Kaveri to rescue Indian nationals from conflict-ridden Sudan.

Highlighting India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, Jaishankar said that India provided medical supplies and relief materials for the people of Myanmar affected by Cyclone Mocha. He further said India supplied the first tranche of the total 10,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar Port. He said that India also donated 25 tons of medical aid to people of Sudan.

“As part of India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, India provided medical supplies and relief materials for the people of Myanmar affected by Cyclone Mocha. India also donated 25 tons of Medical aid to the people of Sudan. India supplied the

first tranche (2500 MT) of the total 10,000 MT wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar Port. Subsequent shipments are underway,” Jaishankar said.

“Essential and anti-cancer medicines were supplied to Malawi; anti-TB drugs to Central African Republic, Fiji, Maldives, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tuvalu; and anti-Retroviral drugs to

Fiji. 10 Haemodialysis chairs, operation theatre accessories and medicines were also sent to Palau,” he added. (ANI)

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After a week of battle, there is hope that the evacuation of foreign nationals from Sudan will now be possible after both of the opposing parties vying for control of Sudan declared they are prepared to do so, according to CNN.

The Sudanese army announced in a recent statement that it had consented to assist in evacuating citizens and diplomats from several nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and China.
Evacuations are expected to begin “within the coming hours,” according to the statement, CNN reported on Saturday.

In order to allow nations to evacuate their citizens, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) declared on Friday that they were prepared to reopen all airports in Sudan to air traffic partially.

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the paramilitary RSF, under the direction of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, engaged in fierce fighting last Saturday in Sudan.

Although the two were once partners, tensions between them developed amid talks to incorporate the RSF into the nation’s military as part of preparations to reestablish a civilian government.

Fighting continued in Khartoum on Friday, even though the Sudanese army said it had reached an understanding with the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for a three-day ceasefire to allow civilians to observe the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr. The RSF announced earlier in the day that a 72-hour ceasefire had been reached in observance of Eid.

Countries including Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and the US have been unable to evacuate embassy workers since the airport in Khartoum is engulfed in violence and the skies are insecure, read a report published in Al Jazeera.

According to a Western diplomat, the Sudanese evacuation situation is among the most challenging they have ever encountered. The US is probably concentrating on achieving a truce so that its personnel may be evacuated. Washington has said that private US citizens living in Sudan shouldn’t expect a coordinated evacuation by the US government. Vedant Patel, the deputy spokeswoman for the US State Department, stated that authorities were in contact with hundreds of US individuals believed to remain in Sudan.

The State Department on Friday confirmed the death of a US citizen there.

The conflict began when a coup in 2021 between Sudan’s military leader and his deputy on the ruling council erupted derailing a plan for a transition to a civilian democracy after the fall of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Elections were supposed to be held by the end of 2023. (ANI)

Tag: Rapid Support Forces

India Will Never Leave Its Citizens Behind: Jaishankar in RS

Sudan Army Agrees To Assist In Evacuation Of Foreign Nationals