“How’s the Josh”: Muraleedharan after 135 Indian evacuees reach Jeddah from Sudan

The 12th batch of Indian Air Force C-130J flights from crisis-hit Sudan has arrived in Jeddah, carrying 135 stranded Indians. So far, 2100 stranded Indians have arrived in Jeddah as part of ‘Operation Kaveri,’ according to Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan.

“How’s the Josh? #OperationKaveri 135 more Indian evacuees reached Jeddah by IAF C-130J. With this 12th batch, around 2100 Indians arrived in Jeddah in total. Our efforts will continue,” Muraleedharan tweeted.

Meanwhile, Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said that the INS Sumedha, which is stationed in Port Sudan, had also left the crisis-torn country with 300 passengers on board for Jeddah. The INS Sumedha is carrying the 13th batch of evacuated Indians to Jeddah.

Earlier on Friday, the Indian Air Force C-130J evacuated the 10th and 11th batches of 135 passengers from Port Sudan to Jeddah after the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend their ceasefire in the capital Khartoum and the western Darfur region.

Earlier, the Sudanese army said it would extend the ceasefire “for an additional 72 hours” following mediation efforts by Saudi Arabia and the US in the final hours of the three-day truce, which was set to expire at midnight (22:00 GMT) on Thursday.

The RSF also stated that it approved the extended cease-fire, adding that it was proposed by two diplomatic groups comprised of the United States, Saudi Arabia, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Sudan has been on fire due to ongoing clashes between the army and paramilitary forces. Even during the 72-hour ceasefire, there have been reports of violence and clashes.

Soldiers loyal to Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan clashed with their deputy, paramilitary Rapid Support Soldiers (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. India has deployed military planes and warships in the war-torn country to ensure that no Indian national is left behind.