India on Monday launched 'Operation Kaveri' to evacuate its nationals from violence-hit Sudan.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India's ships and aircraft are set to bring the Indians back home.

"Operation Kaveri gets underway to bring back our citizens stranded in Sudan. About 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan. More on their way," Jaishankar tweeted.

"Our ships and aircraft are set to bring them back home. Committed to assist all our brethren in Sudan," he said.

India on Sunday said it has positioned two transport aircraft of the IAF in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate the stranded Indians.

The government had on Friday said it was focusing on the safety of over 3,000 Indian citizens presently located throughout Sudan.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group for the last 11 days that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.

Earlier today, France evacuated 388 people from 28 countries, including Indian nationals.

"French evacuation operations are underway. Last night, two military flight rotations evacuated 388 people of 28 countries, including Indian nationals," tweeted the Embassy of France in India.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that all US personnel and their families had been evacuated and operations at the US Embassy in Khartoum have been "temporarily suspended."

Violence broke out in capital Khartoum and across other regions in Sudan on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The former allies seized power in a 2021 coup but later fell out in a bitter power struggle.

The WHO retweeted a post from Sudan's Health Ministry on Sunday saying at least 420 people had been killed and 3,700 injured in the fighting so far.