‘Operation Kaveri’: India brings back home another batch of 186 people

India on Monday brought home another 186-person contingent under ‘Operation Kaveri’, launched a week ago to evacuate Indians stranded in violence-hit Sudan.

“#OperationKaveri continues to bring Indians home. Flight with 186 passengers touches down in Kochi,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

#OperationKaveri continues to bring Indians back home.

Flight carrying 186 passengers touches down in Kochi. pic.twitter.com/wqwGvt7ppO

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) May 1, 2023

On Sunday, 229 Indians arrived in Bengaluru, while 365 arrived in Delhi the previous day. Under the evacuation drive, 754 people arrived in India in two batches on Friday.

According to official data, the total number of Indians who have returned home now stands at 2,140.

The Indians were brought home from the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, where India set up a transit camp for the evacuees. The first batch of 360 evacuees returned to New Delhi on a commercial flight on Wednesday.

The second batch of 246 Indian evacuees arrived in Mumbai on Thursday in an Indian Air Force C17 Globemaster aircraft.

Under ‘Operation Kaveri’, India busses its citizens from Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan and from there to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah by Indian Air Force heavy transport aircraft. Ships of the Indian Navy.

From Jeddah, Indians are brought home on commercial flights or IAF’s flights.

India has set up separate control rooms at Jeddah, Port Sudan and the Indian Embassy in Khartoum is in touch with and coordinating with the MEA headquarters in Delhi.

About 400 people are said to have been killed in a fierce battle between the country’s army and paramilitary groups in Sudan.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday announced that ‘Operation Kaveri’ will be launched to bring back stranded Indians in Sudan.