Operation Sankat Mochan: 3 infants among 143 people evacuated from South Sudan

#SankatMochan, Homeward Bound!
143 inc.10 women & 3 infants onboard as 1st C-17 Globemaster prepares to depart Juba pic.twitter.com/ZsGoKzmhmr

— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) July 14, 2016

Talking in details about the operation, Swarup said in a press conference that first flight has already landed in Juba and the next one will be landing shortly, adding that the aim is to evacuate all Indian nationals who have expressed their interest in leaving south Sudan.

"The evacuation has been meticulously planned in coordination with the local authorities as well as the support of the Indian peace keeping contingent in the United Nation Mission in South Sudan. Soon after landing, general (retired) VK Singh met the Foreign minister of South Sudan Deng Alor Kuol. He almost met Vice President James Wani Igga," Swarup said.

The first aircraft will travel to Entebbe in Uganda for a refuelling halt of approximately three hours, following which they will depart for India, landing first in Thiruvananthapuram early tomorrow morning and thereafter coming to Delhi.

Swarup stated that the entire operation has been conducted under the direct supervision of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who formed a high level task force to monitor the situation in South Sudan, which has deteriorated in the last few days.

"In our assessment this was an opportune time to arrange for the evacuation, especially since the ceasefire is holding and there is a lull in hostilities. Operation Sankat Mochan has underscored once again, the government's pro-active approach towards helping Indians in distress anywhere in the world," he added.

--ANI