The Keralites among the 156 Indians evacuated from Juba, capital city of war-torn South Sudan, as part of Operation Sankat Mochan, said they were happy to be home and away from the conflict zone, after landing at the Thiruvananthapuram airport at 4.00 AM Friday.
“I am very happy to be home from the war zone. It gives me immense relief,” said Anilkumar, one of the 45 Keralites evacuated from Juba through the Centre’s efforts while Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh, who had accompanied the evacuees on the giant C-17 aircraft of the Air Force, said many Indians there had refused to be evacuated.
Majority of the 156 persons brought back through Thiruvananthapuram airport were South Indians, who included 32 passengers from Tamil Nadu. There were nine women, three children and two Nepali citizens among the evacuees. After the passengers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu disembarked, the aircraft carrying the remaining passengers left for Delhi.
“The situation there was extremely dangerous to everyone. There used to be large-scale firing. Nobody could say when the firing would start. The first two-three days of the week had witnessed heavy exchange of fire. When there was a respite in the fighting, we were evacuated by the Central Government. I thank them for that,” said Anilkumar.
“A few days ago, a man was killed right in front of the gates of our residential compound in Juba,” said another Keralite. “A vehicle parked inside our compound was destroyed in the firing. I am happy to be home,” said another evacuee. Many areas of the capital South Sudan have been witnessing heavy fighting between former rebels and Government troops, he added.
Minister VK Singh told mediapersons at the airport that there were over 550 Indians in Juba and 150 others in the areas where the oil wells were located. “When we landed, 156 of them came out with us. Some 30 to 40 people had already booked their tickets when the commercial flights had started operating,” he said.
However, about 300 people did not want to be evacuated because of their business concerns and other matters, he said, adding that business seemed to be their prime concern. “After fighting erupted in Juba and its outskirts, our aim was to evacuate our people who were in danger,” the Minister said. Some Indians in Juba intended to migrate to neighbouring Sudan where there was no conflict.
The operation confronted some complication when several Indians who had registered with the External Affairs Department for leaving the conflict-ridden country refused to return when the time came despite an appeal from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Singh said that he had held discussions with the authorities in Sudan to ensure the safety of Indians.
The C-17 aircraft from Juba had flown to India after refueling at Kampala, Uganda, where the Union Minister met that country’s Prime Minister who had assured all possible. Kerala’s Power Minister Kadakampally Surendran and district collector Biju Prabhakar were among those who were present at the Thiruvananthapuram airport to receive the returnees from South Sudan.