India brings back another 186 people home from Sudan as New Delhi's 'Operation Kaveri' continues

Continuing with its mission to evacuate its nationals from violence-rocked Sudan, India on Monday (1) brought back home another batch of 186 people under 'Operation Kaveri' that was launched a week back to evacuate Indians stranded in the north African nation.

'#OperationKaveri continues to bring Indians back home. Flight carrying 186 passengers touches down in Kochi," Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of India's ministry of external affairs, tweeted.

On Sunday (30), 229 Indians arrived in the southern city of Bengaluru while 365 people reached Delhi the day before.

Under the evacuation mission, 754 people arrived in India in two batches on Friday (28).

The total number of Indians who have been brought back home now stands at 2,140, according to official data.

The Indians were brought back 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 in a commercial plane on Wednesday (26). The second batch of 246 Indian evacuees arrived in Mumbai in a C17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Thursday (27).

Under 'Operation Kaveri', India has been taking its citizens in buses from the conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to Jeddah in Indian Air Force's heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navy's ships.

From Jeddah, the Indians are being brought back home in either commercial flights or IAF's aircraft.

India has set up separate control rooms in Jeddah, Port Sudan and the India embassy in Khartoum has been coordinating with them besides being in touch with the MEA's headquarters in Delhi.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.

Last Monday (24), India's external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced the launch of 'Operation Kaveri' to evacuate and bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan.

Prime minister Narendra Modi also mentioned about the mission's launch while speaking at a programme in Kochi in the southern state of Kerala last week.

(With PTI inputs)