As India stepped up operations to evacuate its nationals from violence-rocked Sudan where the army and paramilitary forces were in the middle of a fierce power struggle, 38 residents of the western state of Gujarat were set to be brought back to the country under 'Operation Kaveri' launched by the Narendra Modi government to remove Indian nationals stranded in the north African nation to safety.
On Wednesday (26), officials confirmed the news saying the Gujaratis, who are among hundreds of stranded Indians, will be brought to Mumbai by a special flight post midnight, PTI reported.
Upon their arrival in Mumbai, the government of Gujarat will provide transportation arrangements to take the 38 citizens back home, the state's minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi, who also handles the Gujarat government's Non-Resident Gujarati (NRG) division, said.
Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group for the last 12 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.
India has stepped up its efforts to evacuate Indians from the crisis-hit African country.
"As part of the Centre's ongoing Operation Kaveri to evacuate Indians from Sudan, 38 stranded Gujaratis will land at Mumbai during midnight. After their arrival, the state government will make necessary arrangements to bring them to Gujarat," minister Sanghavi told reporters in state capital Gandhinagar.
According to officials, there are no specific details available at this juncture about the exact number of Gujaratis stranded in Sudan. Under the Centre's Operation Kaveri, stranded Indians are first taken to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from Sudan through sea route and then they will be flown here in special flights, said V G Rore, director, Gujarat State Non-Resident Gujaratis' Foundation under the NRG division of the state government.
"As of now, we are informed that a special flight carrying Indians, including 38 Gujaratis, will leave from Jeddah tonight and land at Mumbai during midnight. We will then make arrangements to bring them here," Rore said.
On Sunday (23), India said it positioned two transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force in Jeddah and naval ship INS Sumedha at Port Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the stranded Indians. Before that, the government said it was focusing on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens spread across the African nation.
(With PTI inputs)
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