Operation Kaveri: Fifth batch with stranded 297 Indians board INS Teg from Port Sudan

The fifth batch of 297 stranded Indians in war-torn Sudan boarded the Indian Navy Ship INS Teg under Operation Kaveri on April 26 en route to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, informed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "INS Teg departs from Port Sudan with 297 passengers. This is the fifth batch of stranded Indians en route to Jeddah," tweeted MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. India launched Operation Kaveri to rescue Indian nationals in the country in the aftermath of the Civil war that raged in the African country.

#OperationKaveri

INS Teg departs from Port Sudan with 297 passengers.

This is the fifth batch of stranded Indians enroute to Jeddah. pic.twitter.com/IHF7JPQ6M7

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia)

What is Operation Kaveri?

The first flight with 360 rescued Indians reached New Delhi on April 26. Notably after the mediation from the USA and Saudi Arabia, the warring factions in the war-stricken Sudan agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire on Monday (April 24). India launched Operation Kaveri immediately after to evacuate the Indian nationals from Sudan. The Indians rescued from the war-torn country thanked the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia and the Indian government for the smooth arrangements during the rescue mission."I really appreciate the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia. they have done wonderful arrangements for the evacuees coming out of Port Sudan. We can never get a better arrangement than this. Really appreciate them," another passenger said.

Earlier some Indians in Sudan were evacuated by France along with citizens of 27 other countries as a part of the country’s evacuation mission in the violence-hit African country. On April 22, Saudi Arabia announced the rescue of the citizens of a few ‘brotherly and friendly’ nations, which included a few Indians. The evacuation came days after MEA Jaishankar spoke with his counterpart from the gulf country. This was following Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairing a high-level meeting to review the security situation in Sudan.