The strife torn region of Sudan has been a cauldron of unrest for a very long time and the present Sudan conflict has been ongoing since last December when a civil war broke out between rebels and the government. South Sudan is the youngest country on earth, having been in existence only since 2011 when the landlocked region broke away from Sudan. The current fighting is between loyalist of the president, Salva Kiir on the one hand and loyalists of the vice-president, Riek Machar on the other. There is a 600 strong Indian population in the area and Indian authorities are in the process of evacuating Indians from the conflict torn region and about 156 Indians have so far returned safe and sound.
SantakMochan airlift in South Sudan
The Indian authorities have mounted a rescue operation to safely evacuate and bring back Indian citizens from South Sudan. There are about 600 Indians in South Sudan and about 450 of them are said to be in Juba, the capital city of the country. Landing and taking off in a conflict ridden area is tricky and dangerous; requiring permissions and tie-ups with local authorities, efforts of the Indian Ambassador to South Sudan Srikumar Menon as well as the Indian peace keeping contingent in UNMISS have led to this becoming possible. As with previous evacuation operations Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. V K Singh is personally overseeing the operation that is being referred to as Operation #SankatMochan (reliever of troubles).
Indian Air Force to the rescue
Two Indian Air Force air crafts, the massive C-17 military transport Globemaster planes, have been tasked with airlifting Indians to safety. Those being evacuated are only permitted cabin baggage of 5 kg each and no check in bags. The IAF planes would return Indian citizens to Delhi as long as they have valid travel documents.
300 Indians have refused to leave
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Only about half the Indians in South Sudan registered with the Indian embassy for evacuation. When the Indian aircraft reached there for rescue, about half the Indians there refused to return to India. Currently there has been a cease fire declared in the South Sudan and Indians there probably feel that it is safe to continue to be there. However External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, has warned that those who choose not to take advantage of the evacuation efforts would have to manage on their own later if the situation takes a turn for the worse.
Clearly half the Indians of South Sudan who refused to return to India feel that that this is a calculated risk worth taking. Whether these people are jeopardizing themselves and their safety by doing this and ignoring official advisories is something that will be revealed in times to come.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
