Here's How Indian Embassy In Sudan Made Operation Kaveri Successful

Written By Major Amit Bansal:

At midnight of April 15 when residents of Khartoum were peacefully sleeping in their homes, the city was rocked by powerful explosions, artillery bombardment and heavy arms fire. The diplomatic zone was not left unscathed too and the Indian Embassy building was shaking. No one had an idea of the situation and how to react.

Two groups, Government backed Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the rebel paramilitary force Rapid Support Force (RSF) were fighting for control of the city. In next 24 hours when it was known that the situation had gone out of hand, officials at Indian Embassy started working day and night.

Although “Operation Kaveri” started after 9 days on April 24, the preparations and actions of Indian Embassy staff which started on the very next day, made this operation successful. Evacuation from Sudan was not an easy job and there were many challenges.

First and foremost challenge was that unlike Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen or Ukraine the fighting in Khartoum was happening on streets with no differentiation of the groups. Bullets were passing through civilian buildings & ripping through the citizens.

The second challenge was that the Indian community was spread all over the country and the whereabouts of most of them were unknown. Thirdly, most of them did not have Indian passports as this is a common practice in the Arab world to deposit the passports of the workers with the employer.

Fourthly, entire infrastructure including airports, roads, bridges etc were either destroyed or controlled by rebel groups and lastly, it was difficult to communicate with either the government officials or the rebel commanders as both of them were trigger-happy.

Operation Kaveri: The Beginning

To map the locations of the Indians, the Indian Embassy staff came up with a unique solution. The young Defence Attaché of the embassy who was a seasoned Infantry officer having seen action in various conflict zones, prepared a Google spreadsheet with location, landmarks, contact numbers and other details of Indians across the country.

Within no time, the link to this spreadsheet was shared on social media. Indians responded too and within the next 72 hours, more than 3000 names were registered. Although Khartoum itself had nearly 80% of the Indians but it’s a city spread in over 1000 Square Km and locating them with pinpoint accuracy was a herculean task.

These details were then plotted on a map and the war room in Indian Embassy was getting ready for one of the most unique operations of its kind. The people were contacted on the phone, they were assigned a leader among themselves who was educated and a tech-savvy person and they were told to stock the food items, medicines, and water and be ready to be evacuated at short notice. 

At the same time, the embassy staff also mapped the areas being contested, areas controlled by different groups and details of their local commanders. Communication was established with them so that any collateral damage can be avoided. A proper War Room was prepared at the Indian Embassy in Khartoum which was managed 24x7 and the small team of an Indian Embassy joined together to make this happen. 

Operation Kaveri: The Execution

Since the war room was prepared well in advance, once “Operation Kaveri” was announced, the execution was prompt. Initially, it was assumed that the evacuation may happen through air but the situation was grim and after a Turkish plane came under fire, it was decided to use the sea route and transport the people to Port of Sudan which was relatively peaceful. The distance between Khartoum and the Port of Sudan is nearly 850 Km and the road is treacherous.

Indian embassy organised buses from local transporters on 20th April 2023 but none turned up as they were hired by other parties by paying 2-3 times the fare. Indian Embassy Staff had no option but to pay the price asked them.

There was another challenge as no one knew how the journey is going to be and if the route is safe or not. To counter this problem, every bus was assigned tech-savvy team leaders who were told to scan the entire route with photographs and Google locations and map the possible conflict zones, places where fuel, food, medicines and water can be available and places where the team can take shelter in case of a contingency. All these were relayed to the war room in real-time scenario.

Not only this, every occupant of the buses, every Indian was given a number card to identify him and to place him on a priority. Everyone knew where he has to stand in a queue and who will be in his front and behind. They were also told what documents they should keep handy. It helped create a high level of discipline among the evacuees and Indians were able to board their respective Ships/Aircraft in the fastest possible manner. 

The first lot did their job very well and the Indian Embassy staff was able to mark every minute detail in their war room which was managed by the lone military officer available in the embassy, the Defence Attaché himself. A team of Indian Embassy staff was also placed in Port of Sudan to help people embark the ships/aircraft after due identification. People without Passports were also taken after positively identifying them as Indians. Once the first lot reached Port of Sudan safely, other lots were dispatched in no time as the situation was turning red. 

For people located in other parts of Sudan, buses were arranged through local connect & they were told to move in a similar way. Many times, the convoys were led by Indian Embassy staff. They were also conducted in a similar way. 

Major challenge of this entire operation was that Indian evacuees were to cross RSF and SAF-controlled locations several times and each time, Indian Embassy staff had to contact both parties to stop firing. There were instances where the buses moved from an area of intense fighting. 

The Curious Case Of Wadi Sayyidna

The clock was ticking fast and one of the Air bases- Wadi Sayyidna about 40 Km north of Khartoum was made operational. Indian Embassy requested Sudanese authorities who allowed Indian planes to land at Wadi Sayyidna for the evacuation of its citizen.

Since the route was heavily contested, Indian Defence Attaché himself led the convoy. He had to cross Omdurman city where fighting was at its peak, and cross the Nile River multiple times under a situation when one end of the bridge was under the control of SAF while the other was with RSF however he managed to cross as he was able to establish prior contact with them.

But real horrors came true when he reached the Air Base. The Sudanese authorities who permitted Indian planes to land were not seen anywhere and the base was under control of the British Royal Air Force and Special Air Service who denied Indians entry to the base for several hours until high-level diplomatic efforts were made.

As the entire area was a war zone, Indian aircraft landed with their lights off, using their night vision goggles and due to immaculate planning and the discipline among the evacuees, were able to take off in less than an hour after boarding the Indians. 

Operation Kaveri: The Aftermath

The Indian Embassy staff including the Ambassador himself worked day and night till each and every Indian was evacuated from the war-torn country. Till then, they were working from the Embassy building among the explosions and firing.

There were instances when there was a complete blackout but they moved out of Khartoum to go to the Port of Sudan only when they were convinced that there is no Indian left in Sudan. The Indian Embassy Staff although a handful in number did a wonderful job.

Secretaries, Defence Attaché, accountants, staff members and even the ambassador himself worked relentlessly and made “Operation Kaveri” successful. Those twenty days will be remembered by each one of them and by every Indian who was safely evacuated from Sudan. Hope our countrymen remember their deeds too.

(Disclaimer: Views Expressed In The Article Are Personal Opinion Of The Author. Major Amit Bansal is a Defence Strategist with keen interests in International Relations and Internal Security. He is also an author, blogger and poet)