156 people evacuated from South Sudan return to India

Under Operation Sankat Mochan led by Minister of State External Affairs VK Singh, two C-17 military transport aircraft were sent to rescue almost 300 stranded Indians.

Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh, who led Operation Sankat Mochan the Centre’s initiative to evacuate Indian nationals from the African nation accompanied the passengers in the aircraft, which arrived at the global airport here at about 5 am. Over 300 Indians will continue to stay there for their business interests. This was the second major rescue operation to bring stranded Indians after Operation Rahat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday also hailed the efforts of the external affairs ministry and the defence ministry, the IAF, Air India and the Railways for undertaking evacuation of Indians from war-torn South Sudan under the “Operation Sankat Mochan”.

Opposing army factions have clashed in the capital, Juba, over the past week, with forces backing President Salva Kiir pushing many opposition forces out of their bases in the city and bombing the home of former rebel leader Riek Machar. “My colleagues in the mobile clinic have seen at least three other children who came without any family, saying their mother and father had been shot”.

After a 30-hour operation, around 156 Indians were on the C-17 cargo plane fitted with special seats, but there were many empty spots.

“Is this why they liberated this country, is this why we have our independence as South Sudanese so to come and scatter us all over around?” she said.

In South Sudan, the world’s newest country, not only have peacekeepers been unable to ward off what United Nations investigators call crimes against humanity committed chiefly, although not entirely, by government forces, but their own so-called protection-of-civilians sites have not always been reliable sanctuaries.

The Centre estimates that there are about 550 Indians in South Sudan.

In light of the fighting the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) called on Tuesday for neighbouring countries to open their borders to South Sudanese fleeing the violence.

Many expressed anguish as they have made investments in South Sudan and hence are reluctant to leave. “If things are back to normal there, I wish to return”, said another Keralite.

The Kerala government was represented by State Minister for Electricity Kadakampally Surendran and district officials.

The latest bout of violence started on July 7 after a localized gunfight outside Kiir’s residence in Juba when he was holding a meeting with Machar.