The first batch of 156 people which included nine women and three children, were evacuated from war-torn South Sudan. They landed in India on a C-17 Air Force Jumbo plane flown from South Sudan's capitol Juba, along with the minister of state for external affairs VK Singh, who was on board with the evacuees, which included two Nepali citizens. They gave a brief halt in Thiruvanathapuram where passengers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu disembarked. The IAF plane landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi in the morning.
Sushma Swaraj, the minister of external affairs tweeted, “The flight from South Sudan has landed in Delhi. My colleague Vijay Goyal is at the airport to receive them”. In another twieet she wrote, “I welcome our brothers and sisters on their safe return from strife torn South Sudan. Your country is always with you in hour of crisis.” She expressed her gratitude to the Indian Air Force and its officers for the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from the war torn territory. She further tweeted, “Our heartfelt gratitude to the Indian Air Force and their brave officers who carried out this mission. I appreciate my MEA officers, Indian ambassador to South Sudan and his team for their meticulous work.”
More than 550 Indians in Juba and another 150 Indians in the areas where the oil wells are located.
MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup informed that the aim was to evacuate all the Indian nationals, who have shown their interest in leaving. The evacuation faced the hurdle when many Indians, after registering with the ministry for leaving South Sudan, refused to return, despite an appeal by Swaraj on Twitter, asking them to move out. Singh told reporters at Thiruvanathapuram airport, “When we landed, 156 came out with us. There were 30-40 people who had already booked their tickets when the commercial flights started and 300 people did not want to be evacuated due to their business concerns and other activities. There are nine women and three children among those evacuated,”
He added, “We tried to convince them. I suppose business comes first, life comes later (for them). After fighting broke out in Juba and its outskirts, our aim was to evacuate our people who were in danger. As per our information, there were 550 plus people in Juba itself with another 150 Indians in areas where the oil wells are,”
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By Prakriti Neogi
