South Sudan op Sankat Mochan: 149 Indians Evacuated From War-Torn South Sudan

HIGHLIGHTS

Over 500 Indians stuck in war-torn South Sudan

Former Army chief VK Singh leads evacuation operation

He flew to Juba with two C-17 Globemaster IAF aircraft today

 At Least 149 Indian nationals were evacuated from the war-torn South Sudan's capital city Juba on Thursday.

Minister of State for External Affairs, General VK Singh, a former Army chief, flew to Juba early Thursday morning with two C-17 Globemaster Indian Air Force aircraft in what has been named Operation Sankat Mochan. He is leading the operation to evacuate more than 600 Indians stuck in the African country.

Those evacuated will reach Delhi on Friday morning after a halt in Thiruvananthapuram.

However, the evacuation exercise faced a hurdle as many Indians, who had registered with the Foreign Ministry for leaving South Sudan, refused to return citing the ceasefire which has brought a break after a week of intense fighting.

Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier tweeted requesting Indian nationals to move out of the African country before the situation worsens.

"The evacuation has been meticulously planned in coordination with the local authorities as well as the support of the Indian peace keeping contingent in UNMISS," Mr Swarup told reporters on Thursday.

"This entire operation has been under the direct supervision of Sushma Swaraj who had formed a high-level task force to monitor the situation in South Sudan," Mr Swarup had said.

There are around 600 Indians in South Sudan, of them 450 are in Juba, reported news agency PTI citing ministry sources.

South Sudan is witnessing heavy fighting between former rebels and government soldiers in several parts of the city.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir had on Monday evening ordered a ceasefire after days of heavy fighting between government troops and rebels loyal to Vice President Riek Machar.

The UN has said 36,000 South Sudanese civilians have fled their homes due to the civil war. Embassies and aid organisations in South Sudan are moving to evacuate staff from Juba amid the tenuous ceasefire.