Two Indian Air Force C-130J have been stationed in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah and an Indian navy vessel has reached Port Sudan, to evacuate Indians from Sudan, informed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement on Sunday. Giving details of preparations to evacuate Indians from Sudan which is facing fights between the army and paramilitary, the MEA said that contingency plans are in place, but movement on the ground depends on the security situation.
“As part of our preparations, and in order to move swiftly, the Government of India is pursuing multiple options. Two Indian Air Force C-130J are currently positioned on standby in Jeddah. And, INS Sumedha has reached Port Sudan,” the MEA statement said.
C-130J Super Hercules of Indian Air Force is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft made by Lockheed Martin of USA, while INS Sumedha is an indigenously built Saryu class Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel. INS Sumedha, built at Goa Shipyard Limited, visited Abu Dhabi in February this year to participate in NAVDEX 23 (Naval Defence Exhibition) and IDEX 23 (International Defence Exhibition).
The MEA statement further said, “Contingency plans are in place but any movement on the ground would depend on the security situation, which continues to be volatile with reports of fierce fighting at various locations in Khartoum. Sudanese airspace currently remains closed for all foreign aircraft. Overland movement also has risks and logistical challenges.”
The ministry said that the government of India is making all-out efforts to ensure the safety and security of Indians stranded in Sudan, and closely monitoring the complex and evolving security situation in Sudan. According to the MEA, India is coordinating closely with various partners for the safe movement of those Indians who are stranded in Sudan and would like to be evacuated.
Apart from the Sudanese authorities, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Sudan are also in regular touch with the UN, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and US among others in this regard.
MEA added that Indian Embassy in Khartoum is in regular touch with the stranded Indians in Sudan and is advising them on the viability of safe movement and the need to avoid unnecessary risk. The embassy is also coordinating all possible assistance including possible exit from Khartoum city as and when the security situation permits safe movement.
It is notable that yesterday Saudi Arabia successfully evacuated 157 people, including some Indians, via sea route. Saudi foreign ministry announced the safe arrival of 91 Saudi citizens and 66 nationals of from “friendly and brotherly countries” at the Jeddah port. The ministry informed that 66 citizens of Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso were evacuated along with 91 Saudi nationals from Sudan.
The evacuation came days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Saudi Arabia counterpart on cooperation in evacuation. There are 3000 Indians in Sudan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation in Sudan. He told officials to prepare “contingency evacuation plans, accounting for the rapidly shifting security landscape and the viability of various options”.
Due to the closure of airports in Sudan and intense fighting on the ground, evacuation of foreigners has proven to be very difficult. In fact, the US embassy in Sudan yesterday said that it is not able to evacuate people from the country. In a statement, the embassy said, “Due to the uncertain security situation in Khartoum and the closure of the airport, it is not currently safe to undertake a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens.”
Sudan is facing violence due to fighting between the army and the paramilitary forces. Even though the two rival military factions – the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – had declared a 72-hour truce for Eid, fighting has not stopped. On Saturday, Loud explosions and clashes were reported, mainly near the military headquarters and presidential palace in Khartoum.
The armed conflict between two groups in Sudan for control over the third-largest country in Africa started on April 15. The ensuing clashes have resulted in at least 3,500 injuries and 400 fatalities. They include 256 civilians killed and 1454 civilians injured.