EAM talks Sudan crisis with UK Foreign Secy

Bogota, April 27

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and discussed the evolving situation in Sudan, as India stepped up efforts to evacuate its stranded citizens from the strife-torn African country.

Jaishankar, who arrived here in Colombia’s capital from Panama, on Monday announced the launch of the mission “Operation Kaveri” to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan that has been witnessing fierce fighting following a power struggle between the regular army and the RSF.

“Spoke to UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly just now. Discussed the evolving situation in Sudan,” he tweeted on Thursday.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that his government has commenced a “large-scale” evacuation effort to help British nationals leave Sudan.

Jaishankar took to Twitter to share images of the Indian evacuees after their arrival at the Delhi airport.

Jaishankar is on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, his first visit as the External Affairs Minister to these Latin American countries and the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar met his Columbian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran and discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on global issues, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Met Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva of Colombia this morning. Exchanged views on expanding our bilateral cooperation, especially in health, agriculture and digital domains,” he tweeted about his meeting on Wednesday.