INS Teg reaches Sudan with relief material for stranded Indians

Even as INS Sumedha evacuated the first batch of 278 Indian citizens from violence-hit Sudan on Tuesday, another Indian Navy warship INS Teg has also joined Operation 'Kaveri'.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted that INS Teg has reached Port Sudan with relief material for Indians who are still stuck in Khartoum.

"INS Teg joins #OperationKaveri. Arrives at Port Sudan with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians. Will boost ongoing evacuation efforts by Embassy Camp Office at Port Sudan," he posted.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan also reached Saudi Arabia's Jeddah to oversee the preparations and receive the first batch of Indian citizens, who, earlier in the day, left Sudan on board INS Sumedha.

"Upon arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to join Team #OperationKaveri, visited the control room set up to facilitate evacuation of Indians from Sudan. Necessary infrastructure is in place in both Port Sudan and Jeddah. Team is in full readiness on the ground," Muraleedharan tweeted.

The first batch of 278 Indian citizens on Tuesday boarded INS Sumedha from Port Sudan and will be ferried to Jeddah.

The evacuation process named Operation Kaveri, started on April 23, as apart from INS Sumedha, two Indian Air Force aircraft were sent to bring back Indian citizens stuck in the Sudanese capital, where civil war broke out on April 15 after its army and paramilitary forces clashed with each other, leading to large scale violence, which has led to the death of hundreds of people, including an Indian citizen.

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had undertaken a review meeting with top officials on the situation prevailing in Sudan. He had asked for the preparation of a contingency plan to evacuate Indians stuck in that country.

There are around 3,000 Indians in Sudan.