Sudan | Business Upturn

Operation Kaveri was the most dangerous, particularly complicated: EAM

United News of India (UNI) — Sun, 07 May 2023 13:24:38 +0000

New Delhi/Mysuru, May 7: Of all the evacuation operations carried out by India since 2014, Operation Kaveri was the most dangerous, and particularly complicated, as the Indian Embassy staff in Khartoum put their lives at risk in rescuing the nearly 4,000 people in violence-hit Sudan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said today.

In a talk on the Modi government’s foreign policy in Mysuru, the EAM said that Operation Kaveri “was a particularly complicated operation”, and the MEA was hesitant to speak about it much in public as they were “actually genuinely worried that if we highlighted the predicament in which our people were, we would be putting them in danger”.

“In the case of Operation Kaveri we’ve brought back almost 4,000 people and broadly about 11-12 percent were inhabitants of Karnataka. This was done using the Air Force, there were 17 flights, there were five sorties by ships.”
“But having seen a series of these operations, from 2015 when we did the Yemen operation, Operation Rahat, truly this was the most dangerous operation.”

“This was an operation where people put their lives at risk, where… There were quite a few embassies in Khartoum, when the fighting started, most of the embassies left very quickly. Our embassy stayed, because there were Indians in Khartoum,” he said.
EAM said that despite all the Indians having left, the embassy continued in Khartoum “because my ambassador and his team had the responsibility – ‘They said ‘No there are still people stuck in some places’. And finally, when on the day when the ceasefire broke down, I had to order them, saying you are putting your lives at risk, please relocate within Sudan.”

Referring to the daring rescue by an IAF plane of 121 evacuees, including family members of the Indian Embassy from the Wadi Seidna military airbase, 40 km from Khartoum, the EAM said:

“You actually had an Indian Air Force plane land at a, not an unprepared airstrip, but an airstrip not regularly functional, in very poor condition, where a plane previously coming in had been shot at, and hit, and yet these people took the risk of landing there, with very little help from the… I think the air traffic controller was non-existent, I think if my understanding is right.”

“So they landed there using old fashioned skills, taking a big chance. And to me, the courage shown by the people landing was only matched by the embassy staff on the ground who had rounded up the people and taken them there through very difficult circumstances, so that they could be very quickly loaded on the plane; and the embassy people came back.”

He said that the “people need to trust the government, they need to understand that this is a government which has systems in place, which has a commitment to its citizens abroad”.

Elaborating on the challenges faced during Operation Kaveri, he said that the embassy team had to “hire buses, get petrol in the black market, as fuel was very difficult, and had to negotiate check points.”

“Some of you would have seen stories in the newspaper of, what the people who came out were speaking about being threatened, about being robbed, about being assaulted, whatever they went through those who stayed behind took much more than that, and yet it was their job to keep it running.”
The embassy hired 60-70 buses for the evacuation, he said.

“The last lot of people traversed through the length of Sudan to finally reach the Port of Sudan, through a very long route because they were avoiding the fighting. And we had another team, from Nigeria, come to Chad and extricate people from the western side of Sudan.”
EAM said when the fighting broke out in Sudan he was travelling abroad and was in Africa. PM Modi had contacted him, and wanted to confirm that all the systems were in place for the evacuation process.

Operation Kaveri: More Indians evacuated from Sudan

United News of India (UNI) — Thu, 04 May 2023 06:50:33 +0000

New Delhi, May 4: A 22nd batch of evacuees comprising 135 people reached Jeddah on board an IAF C-130J aircraft, while 30 Indians arrived in India in two batches as part of Operation Kaveri.

The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia in a tweet said:

“22nd batch of evacuees left Port Sudan and reached Jeddah. 135 passengers flown by IAF C-130J aircraft.”

The MEA spokesperson in tweets said:

“A group of 14 Indian evacuees departs from Jeddah onboard a flight for Mumbai.

“A group of 16 evacuees departed from Jeddah onboard a flight destined for Lucknow.”

On Wednesday, India flew in its 21st batch of evacuees comprising 137 Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah, even as more Indians arrived back in the country.

On Wednesday, 231 passengers landed in Mumbai on board a flight from Jeddah, while a group of 62 Indian evacuees arrived in New Delhi.

India has so far evacuated over 3,000 Indians from violence-torn Sudan, ferrying them over 850 km to the Port of Sudan in buses from Khartoum. Five Indian Naval Ships and 13 Indian Air Force aircraft have been used in the operation so far.

1,700 Indian nationals moved out of conflict zone, INS Tarkash deployed for evacuation: Foreign Secretary

United News of India (UNI) — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 13:17:13 +0000

New Delhi, Apr 27: Around 1,700 to 2,000 Indian nationals have been moved out of the conflict zone in Sudan, where the situation remains highly volatile, even as a third Indian naval ship INS Tarkash has docked in the Port of Sudan to evacuate Indians as part of Operation Kaveri, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said at a special briefing today.

The Foreign Secretary said that “there are approximately 3,500 Indian nationals and about 1,000 odd Persons of Indian Origin in Sudan”.

Elaborating on the volatile situation in Sudan, in northeast Africa, the Foreign Secretary said that since the fighting broke out between the two rival factions on April 15, several ceasefires were declared by both sides, with many of them not being honoured, and some honoured partially. The current 72-hour ceasefire “is holding by and large but there has been feedback of sporadic firing and fighting going on in some parts of Khartoum”, he said.

In the midst of this volatile ecosystem, the Indian Embassy in Khartoum along with the Ministry of External Affairs has been working to bring back the stranded Indians, he added.

“The ecosystem is of a highly volatile conflict zone situation, where pretty much it is very hard to access areas outside the Khartoum city,” he added.

Despite the conflict zone around Khartoum, India started looking at pathways, and decided on a land corridor of 850 km from Khartoum till the Port of Sudan, where the Indian Naval ships could dock and an airstrip on which the two C-130J aircraft could land.

The approximate journey time to traverse the 850 km can be between 12-18 hours, he said, “and add to that the complexity of diesel fuel for buses”.

He said due to India’s relentless challenges they were able to address these real logistical challenges and bring back a large number of Indians.

FS Kwatra said the Indian Mission in Khartoum worked day and night and they were able to arrange buses to mobilise Indians from the conflict areas.

When the first convoy left two embassy officials accompanied them to ensure there were no issues, made arrangements for stay and food for Indians, he added.

At the Port of Sudan the Indian nationals were provided full documentation as many were not in a position to carry documents with them when they left.

“As we speak, we have a situation that roughly 600-odd Indian nationals have arrived in India, or are on their way,” the FS said.

Giving a breakup, he said that 360 arrived in India by a charter Saudi Arabia flight, while another 246 were being flown to Maharashtra in a commissioned C-17 flight.

There are currently 495 Indians in Jeddah, while there are 320 in the Port of Sudan, and there are more Indians moving in buses from Khartoum to the Port of Sudan, he added.

On April 25 INS Sumedha brought out 278 nationals, while on two sorties of C130J, 121 and 135 people were brought out, on April 26, 296 people left on INS Teg, and 264 left on two sorties of C130J.

To a question, he said that around 42 Indian nationals crossed the border and moved to South Sudan for evacuation.

Asked if there had been requests for evacuation from other countries, he said there have been requests from other nationalities too and India is “willing to provide all assistance to everybody who approaches us subject to fulfilment of all procedures, especially as there is a transit country involved”, referring to Saudi Arabia as all the evacuees are being brought to Jeddah.

He said India has been working very closely with Saudi Arabia and its leadership, and expressed gratitude for the help. “They have been extremely helpful and cooperative and we are extremely grateful to them for that.”

Asked about the number of Indians still in Sudan, he said that the situation on ground very volatile and unpredictable, and India has been in touch with both the warring factions, SAF and RSF. “We have been in touch with both sides, our relationship has been such that we have good equation with both; our first priority is to bring the Indians to an area of greater safety in Khartoum and from there provide them transport assistance to Port of Sudan, which is 850 km away.”

He said that currently “there are a substantial number of buses moving from Khartoum to Port of Sudan”.

“The effort is to get every Indian out of harm’s way and into the Port of Sudan, and from there to Jeddah and back here. The objective and target is to get stranded Indians out of harm’s way as early as possible,” he added.

Operation Kaveri: 2nd Indian naval ship INS Teg reaches Sudan Port

United News of India (UNI) — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 14:14:15 +0000

New Delhi, Apr 25: India on Tuesday deployed a second naval ship, INS Teg, to join the evacuation process of Indian nationals from strife-hit Sudan under Operation Kaveri. INS Teg arrived at Port Sudan with essential relief supplies even as the first batch of 278 Indians set sail from Sudan on board INS Sumedha.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet said:

“INS Teg joins #OperationKaveri.

“Arrives at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians.

“Will boost ongoing evacuation efforts by Embassy Camp Office at Port Sudan.”

Earlier, in a tweet the spokesperson said:

“First batch of stranded Indians leave Sudan under #OperationKaveri.

“INS Sumedha with 278 people onboard departs Port Sudan for Jeddah.”

INS Sumedha is headed for Jeddah where two IAF C-130J aircraft are on standby.

The action by India comes as it launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate its over 3,000 citizens from Sudan.

Around 500 Indians had reached Port Sudan yesterday and more are on their way, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

In a tweet, the EAM said that India’s ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home.

Meanwhile, the two warring factions in the North African country have agreed to a three-day ceasefire. The leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces have agreed to halt the fighting starting from Tuesday after “intense negotiation” over the last two days, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The ceasefire is meant to “establish humanitarian corridors, allowing citizens and residents to access essential resources, health care, and safe zones, while also evacuating diplomatic missions,” the RSF said.

Sudanese Army agrees to assist in evacuation of foreign nationals stuck in crisis hit Sudan

Sakshi Vats — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 14:00:13 +0000

According to CNN, there is now hope that it will be able to evacuate foreign nationals from Sudan after a week of war after both rival parties vying for control of Sudan said they are ready to do so.

The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and China are among the countries whose citizens and diplomats the Sudanese army recently said it has agreed to help evacuated.

According to the announcement, evacuations are expected to start “within the coming hours,” CNN reported on Saturday.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Friday that they were prepared to partially reopen all airports in Sudan to aviation traffic in order to permit nations to evacuate their citizens.

Last Saturday, intense battle broke out in Sudan between the paramilitary RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), under the leadership of General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.

Last Saturday, intense fight broke out in Sudan between the paramilitary RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), under the command of General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.

Although they had been partners in the past, tensions arose as a result of discussions about incorporating the RSF into the military as part of efforts to restore a civilian government.

Even though the Sudanese army said it had achieved an agreement with the opposing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for a three-day ceasefire to let civilians mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, fighting continued in Khartoum on Friday. A 72-hour ceasefire in observance of Eid was reached, the RSF reported earlier in the day.

According to an Al Jazeera report, nations including as Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and the US have been unable to evacuate embassy employees since Khartoum’s airport has been struck by violence and the skies are unsafe.

A Western diplomat claims that the Sudanese evacuation situation is one of the most difficult ones they have ever faced. The US is likely focusing on bringing about the truce so that its personnel can be evacuated. According to statements made in Washington, individual US citizens who reside in Sudan shouldn’t anticipate a planned evacuation by the US government. Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesman for the US State Department, said that hundreds of Americans who were thought to be still in Sudan were being contacted by the authorities.

The death of a US citizen there was confirmed by the State Department on Friday.

Following the overthrow of longstanding dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, a plan for a transition to a civilian democracy was interrupted by a coup in 2021 between Sudan’s military head and his deputy on the ruling council. By the end of 2023, elections were planned.

Saudi Arabia evacuates nationals & foreigners from Sudan

United News of India (UNI) — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 15:19:08 +0000

Riyadh, Apr 22: Saudi Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday the evacuation of Saudi citizens and other nationals from Sudan as fierce fighting continues in the country.

A total of 158 people, including Saudi nationals and people from other countries, have been evacuated from Sudan and transferred to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah ports by boat, the Saudi state television said.

The move came when armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum enters the second week.

The Sudanese army on Saturday said its General Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan received calls from leaders of a number of countries requesting the evacuation of their nationals and diplomats.

“Al-Burhan agreed to provide the necessary assistance to secure this,” the army said in a statement.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

Until Friday, the clashes left over 400 people dead and about 3,500 wounded, according to the Sudanese health ministry.

PM Modi chairs meeting over Sudan crisis after citizen tweets, “Bring back my husband…”

Sakshi Vats — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 14:27:36 +0000

According to the official statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave instructions to all concerned officials to maintain vigilance, closely watch the developments, and continuously evaluate the safety of Indians in Sudan.

In the wake of the Sudan situation, which has put the lives of thousands of Indians in the capital city of Khartoum in danger, he made the remarks while presiding over a meeting on Friday. Currently, there are about 3,000 Indians trapped in Sudan.

According to the statement, “Prime Minister Modi instructed all relevant officials to remain vigilant, closely monitoring developments and continuously evaluating the safety of Indian nationals in Sudan and extending them all possible assistance. The Prime Minister further directed the preparation of contingency evacuation plans, accounting for the rapidly shifting security landscape and the viability of various options.”

PM Modi highlighted the importance of staying in contact with neighboring nations in the Sudan region as well as those with a significant number of nationals living in Sudan.

The meeting was witnessed by a significant number of senior officials, including Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, India’s ambassador to Sudan, BS Mubarak, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Prime Minister Modi evaluated the most recent developments in Sudan during the meeting and got a first-hand account of the situation there, with an emphasis on the safety of Indian residents who are currently living there.

PM Modi offered his condolences during the meeting for the loss of an Indian who unfortunately died from a stray bullet last week.

An Indian working for a Dal Group Company in Sudan named Albert Augestine was killed by a stray bullet, according to information provided by the Indian Embassy in Sudan a week earlier.

The Indian Embassy in Sudan tweeted, “The embassy is in touch with family and medical authorities to make further arrangements.”

On April 20, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar met in New York and spoke about the developments in Sudan.

“We had a very good meeting. Most of our meeting was on the Sudan situation. We also held talks on the G20, and Ukraine conflict, but essentially it was about Sudan,” according to the statement Jayshankar gave to ANI.

“Our team in Delhi is in continuous touch with the Indians in Sudan, advising them. We know it’s very difficult for everybody but keep calm and don’t take unnecessary risk. I hope the efforts will yield something very soon,” he stated.

Arindam Bagchi, the ministry’s spokeswoman, had stated that the ministry is in talks with the Indian embassy in Sudan.

Fighting has broken out between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s army and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who is in charge of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Following the overthrow of longstanding dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, a plan for a transition to a civilian democracy failed by a coup in 2021 between Sudan’s military chief and his deputy on the ruling council. By the end of 2023, elections were planned.

Numerous stranded Indians have turned to social media platforms to ask for help as the conflict in Sudan continues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a review meeting on Friday. Currently, there are about 3,000 Indians trapped in Sudan.

“I am hopeful that you will be able to set my worries to rest and bring back my husband and other trapped Indians from Sudan, Khartoum from the horrific situation there. Thank you for your efforts and initiative,” Meenakshi Agrawal mentioned the Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar in a tweet.

@narendramodi @DrSJaishankar I am hopeful that you will be able to set my worries to rest and bring back my husband and other trapped Indians from #sudan #khartoum from the horrific situation there. Thank you for your efforts and initiative https://t.co/b9cugBmioC

— Meenakshi agrawal (@Meenakshiagra17) April 21, 2023

Kenya & South Sudan call for ceasefire in Sudan

United News of India (UNI) — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 12:30:03 +0000

Nairobi, Apr 16: Kenya and South Sudan have called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan where the military and a paramilitary group are engaged in fierce fighting.

Kenyan President William Ruto and his South Sudan counterpart, Salva Kiir, in separate statements, urged the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, to embrace dialogue to resolve their issues.

“Kenya is concerned about the developing crisis in Sudan. I implore all parties to address any differences through peaceful means for the sake of the security of the people of Sudan and stability in the country and the region, especially during this Holy month of Ramadan,” Ruto said in a statement issued Saturday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

He said the outbreak of violence will only reverse the gains Sudan has made to the detriment of its lasting peace and prosperity. Ruto said Kenya and the East Africa bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) states are available and ready to contribute to the resolution of this crisis.

The statement came as clashes between the two parties erupted on Saturday in Sudan’s capital Khartoum. The paramilitary group, RSF, claims its units took control of the presidential palace and Khartoum’s international airport, along with another airport and military base north of the capital.

However, SAF Spokesman Brigadier-General Nabil Abdallah refuted the claims, saying it had gained control over RSF leadership “without resistance” and had struck RSF bases, chasing after paramilitary units.

On his part, Deng Dau Deng, South Sudan’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said President Kiir is following the developments in neighboring Sudan with deep concern.

Deng said Kiir was in constant communication with the leaders of Sudan to de-escalate the current situation. “The Republic of South Sudan which is the closest country to Sudan expresses its hope that the current situation is brought to a speedy end,” he said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Deng said Juba which brokered the Sudan peace agreement continues to remain a major guarantor of that agreement and called for an immediate ceasefire and commencement of talks to resolve pertinent issues that led to the current situation.

Sudan’s PM holds talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

News Desk — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:38:18 +0000

Sudan’s PM Abdalla Hamdok held talks with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Khartoum on Tuesday.

Both sides discussed Sudan’s removal from the US state sponsors of terrorism list, among other issues.

Hamdok said the two also discussed support for Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government, and that he was looking forward to “positive tangible steps” to support Sudan’s revolution.

It should be mentioned here that Pompeo’s visit is meant to discuss the normalization of ties between Sudan and Israel and also show the US support for the one of the most geographically diverse countries’ fragile transition to democracy.