External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday promised that she will ensure evacuation of all Indians stranded in war-struck Yemen. A passenger ship, having the capacity to carry 1,500 people, and aircraft have got permission to fly from Sanna for three hours per day.
There are about 4,000 Indians, mostly nurses, stuck in various provinces of Yemen, including the most problematic area Sanna. “Today, we have got permission to fly from Sanaa for three hours a day. We will use the slot to evacuate our citizens every day. In addition, we are also sending a ship with a capacity of 1,500 passengers,” said Swaraj. Nearly 80 people have been shifted to Djibouti yet, an African sub-continent and the Government is working out plans to bring them back soon.
According to official sources, the Government will chalk out a schedule for Air India sorties to evacuate the nationals. The Ministry has also set up a 24-hour Control Room to monitor the situation in Yemen, where all the airports have been shut down. Yemen is witnessing attacks by Shiite militiamen on the President, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, and other State figures.
The rising unrest has fuelled longtime divisions in Yemen, where the Government, Huthis, southern separatists, powerful Sunni tribes and the local al-Qaeda branches are all vying for influence. Saudi Arabia had started air strikes and mobilised a number of the Arab Governments, including Paksitan, to join the Sunni intervention in Yemen against the rebel Shia militia.