New Delhi: The first group of evacuees arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, and the foreign secretary thanked Saudi Arabia for helping to evacuate Indian citizens from Sudan.

Since Monday, when Sudan's warring factions—the army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces—announced a 72-hour ceasefire, a large-scale exodus of foreigners has been in progress.

In Sudan, more than 3,500 Indians have been residing and working. India started Operation Kaveri on Monday to evacuate them. About 2,000 people have so far been relocated from combat areas, and 600 of them have arrived in New Delhi since Wednesday.

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The aid from Saudi Arabia has been essential in the evacuation process.

At a press conference in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra expressed his gratitude to them.

"We have been collaborating closely with Saudi Arabia's government and top officials. They have been incredibly supportive, helpful, and cooperative, and we are very appreciative of that.

The latest WHO estimates indicate that since fighting began in Sudan on April 15, at least 459 people have died and more than 4,000 have been injured.

Evacuation efforts are challenging because many people are still confined to their homes, particularly in the Darfur region and the capital Khartoum, and because residential areas and airports are turning into active combat zones.The majority of Indians have left by sea via the port of Jeddah.India's deputy foreign minister, V. Muraleedharan, is in Saudi Arabia to oversee the operation.

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"The Saudi government has provided us with excellent support and cooperation with regard to the Jeddah arrangement,...support in making sure that incoming transit from Port Sudan to Jeddah is smooth," Kwatra said.

According to observers, the two countries' relations have been further bolstered by the speed of the evacuation and the volume of Saudi aid that India has received.

According to Mohammed Soliman, the director of the Middle East Institute's Strategic Technologies and Cyber Security Programme, "Saudi Arabia's quick action to evacuate Indian citizens from Sudan not only showcases the country's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of foreign nationals on its soil but also strengthens the already strong bilateral relations between the two nations."

Additionally, it "speaks volumes about the strength of the Indo-Saudi bilateral relations," according to Muddassir Quamar, a fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi and a Middle East expert.

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"Saudi Arabia has assisted India in rescuing its citizens from a conflict zone before," he continued. When India conducted Operation Raahat in Yemen in 2015, Saudi Arabia made things easier. Operation Kaveri now exhibits the same camaraderie and cooperation.