GUNTUR: As many as 97 Andhra people stranded in strife-torn Sudan were brought back to India safely on Friday as part of Operation Kaveri, a rescue mission launched by the Indian government to evacuate the Indians from Sudan.
The African country has been facing a conflict between the country’s army and a para-military group for the last 25 days which claimed more than 427 lives, including at least 273 civilians, and over 3,700 have been wounded.
The Central government had launched Operation Kaveri to bring back its nationals from Sudan which is around 4,000 people. As part of this, Indians are being shifted from Sudan to Jedda through ships and fro there to Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Bengaluru in flights.
According to the APNRTS officials, as many as 98 AP people were stuck in Sudan, out of which 97 people have safely reached their hometowns and another remaining person would reach Vijayawada by Saturday morning.
APNRTS President Venkat N Medapati said AP government provided logistical support including local flights, and ground transportation to assist 63 of the stranded Telugus, while the remaining have been supported by their employers.
He said AP Bhavan officials in Delhi and APNRTS have arranged for local transportation through air and by road, which designated district administration officials ensured transportation of these individuals to their homes.
He explained that by May 5, all the registered and unregistered members who were stranded in Sudan and those who requested repatriation assistance from APNRTS have been successfully repatriated to India by scheduled flights of the Government of India.
AP resident commissioner Himanshu Kaushik, APNRTS CEO P Hemalatha Rani are coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs to bring AP people safely to India.