What Is Operation Kaveri And Sudan Conflict?

The first batch of Indians stranded in violence-hit Sudan left the country onboard India’s naval ship INS Sumedha as part of the evacuation mission ‘Operation Kaveri‘.

What Is Operation Kaveri?

• Operation Kaveri aims to bring back Indian citizens stranded in Sudan.
• Around 3,000 Indians are stuck in various parts of Sudan, including capital Khartoum and in distant provinces like Darfur.
• 278 people onboard the ship departed Port Sudan for the Saudi Arabian city of
• Port Sudan and Jeddah are separated by the Red Sea, and it usually takes about 12 hours for a ship to travel between the two locations.
• In Jeddah, the Indian Air Force has kept two planes ready to bring the Indians back home.
• Navy ship option is being used since Sudan’s airspace has been closed, making the evacuation of stranded Indians from the African country a big challenge.

Sudan Conflict

• Tension had been building for months between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup.
• The friction was brought to a head by an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties.
• A final deal was due to be signed earlier in April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.
• Both the army and the RSF were required to cede power under the plan and two issues proved particularly contentious
• One was the timetable for the RSF to be integrated into the regular armed forces, the second was when the army would be formally placed under civilian oversight.
• When fighting broke out on 15 April, both sides blamed the other for provoking the violence.
• The army accused the RSF of illegal mobilisation in preceding days and the RSF, as it moved on key strategic sites in Khartoum, said the army had tried to seize full power in a plot with Bashir loyalists.

Background Of Sudan Conflict

• Civilians persisted in their protests notwithstanding Bashir’s overthrow in their demand for free elections and the establishment of a civilian government.
• Four months later, the military and the protestors reached an agreement as a result of which it was decided to create the Sovereignty Council, a body with a mix of military and civilian officials that would oversee elections in Sudan by the end of 2023.
• Abdalla Hamdok was appointed Prime Minister for the transitional period, and he took office in August of that year.
• However, the new arrangement was only temporary as Burhan quickly took over as de facto head of the nation after the military deposed Hamdok’s administration in October 2021.
• Burhan’s partner in the military coup, Dagalo, vice-president of the ruling council, assumed the position of second in command.
• Burhan declared that the military would be in charge until the July 2023 elections.

Current Status of Sudan Conflict

• Sudan is in a volatile region, bordering the Red Sea, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
• Its strategic location and agricultural wealth have attracted regional power plays, complicating the chances of a successful transition.
• Several of Sudan’s neighbours, including Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan, have been affected by political upheavals and conflict.
• Egypt, which has deep historical ties with Sudan and a close relationship with its military, has pursued an alternative track with groups that supported the coup.
• Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States has sponsored mediation in Sudan along with the African Union and the United Nations.
• Western powers fear the potential for a Russian base on the Red Sea, which Sudanese military leaders have expressed openness to.

Impact Of Sudan Conflict

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