New Delhi: Three Indian nationals who work as crew members of a Saudi Arabian flag carrier were among 66 foreign nationals evacuated from Sudan in a Saudi-led operation Saturday, according to sources in the Ministry of External Affairs.
These are believed to be crew members employed by ‘Saudia’ airline who were aboard a passenger plane preparing to take off from Khartoum for Riyadh that came under fire on 15 April, said the sources.
The state-owned carrier had said the plane was exposed to gunfire damage at Khartoum airport while guest and crew were onboard, and that they were later evacuated to the Saudi embassy in Sudan.
Meanwhile, the Indian government appears to be preparing for a mass evacuation of 3,000-4,000 stranded Indian citizens in violence-hit Sudan, having stationed military aircraft in Jeddah and Port Sudan Sunday.
Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Saturday released a statement saying 91 of its citizens and 66 foreign nationals had arrived safely within its borders after an evacuation carried out by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and other branches of the Kingdom’s armed forces.
“…We are pleased to announce the safe arrival of the citizens of the Kingdom who were evacuated from the Republic of Sudan as well as several nationals of brotherly and friendly countries, including diplomats and international officials, who arrived in an evacuation operation carried out by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces with the support of various branches of the armed forces,” read the statement.
It noted that 66 foreign nationals from countries like India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso were part of the evacuation operation.
The development came days after PM Modi had chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation in Sudan. Earlier in the week, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had also spoken to Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud about the situation in the African country.
Violence has been raging in Sudan for over a week between the country’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
‘Contingency plans in place’
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs Sunday, two Indian Air Force C-130J are currently positioned on standby in Jeddah and INS Sumedha has reached Port Sudan.
It added that “contingency plans are in place”, however, the ground situation remains “volatile”, Sudanese airspace remains closed to foreign aircraft and overland movement also poses logistical challenges.
“Contingency plans are in place but any movement on the ground would depend on the security situation,” noted the MEA.
MEA has also set up a control room to provide information and assistance to Indians stranded in Sudan. Over 300 people, including an Indian national, have died amid intense fighting there, especially in the capital, Khartoum.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi Friday indicated that the Indian embassy premises in Khartoum is vacant due to heavy fighting in the area but embassy personnel are safely residing in other areas of the country and are assisting stranded Indian citizens.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)