Aircraft in Jeddah, ship at Sudan on standby to evacuate Indians

NEW DELHI: India has positioned two heavy-lift military transport aircraft in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in violence-hit Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate stranded Indians from the African country.

In a related development, Saudi Arabia said it has evacuated from Sudan 66 citizens from “brotherly and friendly” foreign countries that included a few Indian nationals.

It is learnt that Saudi Arabia evacuated three Indians who were part of the crew of a Saudi flight and they were stuck in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday that contingency plans for the evacuation of the Indians from Sudan have been put in place but noted that any movement on the ground would depend on the security situation.

It said the security situation in Sudan continues to be “volatile” with reports of fierce fighting coming from various locations in the country’s capital Khartoum.

The government on Friday said it was focusing on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens currently located throughout Sudan.

“As part of our preparations, and in order to move swiftly, the Government of India is pursuing multiple options,” the MEA said in a statement on Sunday.

“Two Indian Air Force C-130J are currently positioned on standby in Jeddah. And, INS Sumedha has reached Port Sudan,” it 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,” the MEA said.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group for the last 10 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.

The MEA said India is making all-out efforts to ensure the safety and security of Indians stranded in Sudan.

“We are closely monitoring the complex and evolving security situation in Sudan,” it said. More on P9