2 military planes to be sent to South Sudan to evacuate Indians

India will send two C-17 military transport aircraft to war-torn South Sudan’s capital Juba on Thursday to evacuate over 300 Indians stranded there, an exercise which will be led by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh.

“The General takes charge again! 2 C-17s proceeding to Juba tomorrow with @Gen_VKSingh leading evacuation from South Sudan,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. Singh had also supervised the evacuation of nearly 4,000 Indians from conflict- ridden Yemen last year.

The relief flight is expected to reach Juba on Thursday morning, an official advisory said, adding that only Indian nationals with valid travel document will be allowed boarding with maximum five-kg cabin baggage and no check-in pieces.

It said women and children would be accommodated on priority. Apart from Singh, Amar Sinha, Secretary (Economic Relations) will also travel to Juba.

India has been closely monitoring developments in South Sudan, which is witnessing heavy fighting between former rebels and government soldiers in several parts of the city. A task force has been set up for the purpose.

According to the ministry, there are around 600 Indians in South Sudan, of them 450 are in Juba and nearly 150 outside the city. According to sources, so far nearly 300 Indians have registered with the Indian embassy for evacuation.