Indian nationals are among 66 people evacuated from Sudan

Riyadh : Indian nationals are among 66 people from "friendly and brotherly countries" evacuated by Saudi Arabia from violence-torn Sudan.

The evacuation came days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Saudi Arabia counterpart. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation in Sudan. Sudan is facing violence due to fighting between the army and the paramilitary forces. There are reports of violence even amid a 72-hour ceasefire.

"In the implementation of the directives of the Kingdom's leadership, we are pleased to announce the safe arrival of the evacuated citizens of the Kingdom from Sudan and several nationals of brotherly & friendly countries, including diplomats & international officials," Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministry statement said.

The Ministry said that not only its own citizens but also a number of citizens of allied and friendly nations were evacuated from the North African country of Sudan.

We are happy to announce the safe arrival of the Kingdom's citizens who were evacuated from the Republic of Sudan as well as a number of citizens of allied and friendly nations, including diplomats and international officials, who arrived in an evacuation operation conducted by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces with the assistance of other armed forces," the statement said.

"The number of citizens who were evacuated reached 91 citizens, while the number of people who were evacuated from brotherly and friendly countries reached approximately 66, representing the following nationalities (Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso). The Kingdom worked to provide all the necessary needs of foreign nationals in preparation for their departure to their countries," the statement added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation in Sudan via video-conferencing on Friday.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi assessed the most recent developments in Sudan and received a first-hand report of the conditions on the ground, with specific focus on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens presently located throughout the country.

The Prime Minister expressed his condolences on the passing away of an Indian national who tragically fell victim to a stray bullet last week.

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.

The Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of maintaining close communication with neighboring countries in the region, as well as those with significant numbers of citizens in Sudan.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar had on April 20 met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York and discussed the developments in Sudan.

"We had a very good meeting. Most of our meeting was on the Sudan situation. We also discussed the G20, and Ukraine conflict, but essentially it was about Sudan," Jaishankar told ANI.

Jaishankar said that the Indian government is in continuous touch with its citizens stuck in Sudan.

"Our team in Delhi is in continuous touch with the Indians in Sudan, advising them, saying we know it's very difficult for everybody but keep calm and don't take unnecessary risk. I hope that the efforts will yield something very soon," the EAM said.

Fighting has been raging between forces loyal to Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The conflict began since a coup in 2021 between Sudan's military leader and his deputy on the ruling council erupted derailing a plan for a transition to a civilian democracy after the fall of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Elections were supposed to be held by the end of 2023.