India foreign minister Jaishankar discusses Sudan situation with British counterpart Cleverly

India's external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has discussed with his British counterpart James Cleverly the evolving situation in Sudan where the military and paramilitary forces are locked in a fierce power struggle and the resulting violence has seen deaths of over 400 people.

India stepped up its efforts to evacuate the Indians from the north African nation after a 72-hour truce was agreed between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces following intense negotiations.

New Delhi has set up a transit facility in Jeddah and India's minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan is overseeing the evacuation mission from the Saudi Arabian city.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Colombia's capital Bogota from Panama on Monday (24) announced the launch of the mission 'Operation Kaveri' to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan that has been witnessing fierce fighting following a power struggle between the regular army and the RSF.

"Spoke to UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly just now. Discussed the evolving situation in Sudan," the Indian diplomat tweeted on Thursday (27).

British prime minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday (25) that his government has commenced a “large-scale” evacuation effort to help British nationals leave Sudan.

"The government has begun a large-scale evacuation of British passport holders from Sudan on RAF flights. Priority will be given to the most vulnerable, including families with children and the elderly,” Sunak tweeted.

Jaishankar took to Twitter to share images of the Indian evacuees after their arrival at the Delhi airport.

"India welcomes back its own. Operation Kaveri brings 360 Indian nationals to the homeland as first flight reaches New Delhi," he tweeted.

"OperationKaveri takes more steps forward. Another 136 Indian Nationals have been moved to safety in Jeddah. They will come home soon," he said in another tweet.

India has evacuated at least 670 Indian nationals from Sudan and is looking to rescue more of its citizens from the strife-torn African nation before the end of a tenuous ceasefire.

Jaishankar is currently on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the external affairs minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean.

(With PTI inputs)