New Delhi: India safely evacuated 534 Indian nationals from strife-torn Sudan to Jeddah, via Indian naval ships and IAF aircraft, with more sorties to follow as part of Operation Kaveri.

While the first batch of 278 Indians left for Jeddah — where a transit facility has been set up for onward journey to India — yesterday evening on board INS Sumedha, two other batches, of 121 and 135 Indians, were flown to Jeddah on board two IAF C-130J aircraft  later in the night.

The evacuation comes a day after the MEA announced that India had launched an operation to bring back around 3,000 Indians stranded in Sudan. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had said that around 500  citizens have already reached Port Sudan.

Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan has been stationed in Jeddah where a control room has been set up to oversee the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan.

More sorties will follow to evacuate the over 3,000 Indians who were in Sudan when the fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary.

“Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home. We are committed to assisting all our brethren in Sudan,” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had tweeted. The MEA had said in a statement that India has also positioned two IAF C-130J on standby in Jeddah.

Another ship, C-130J arrived in Port Sudan shortly after INS Sumedha departed Port Sudan with 278 Indians onboard, INS Teg joined Operation Kaveri and arrived at the port with additional officials and essential relief supplies for stranded Indians, the statement added.

India has launched full-scale operations to evacuate its nationals taking advantage of the three-day ceasefire that the two warring factions in Sudan announced yesterday. The leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to halt the fighting.

The ceasefire is meant to “establish humanitarian corridors, allowing citizens and residents to access essential resources, health care and safe zones, while also evacuating diplomatic missions,” the RSF said.