The rescue mission by Indian Airforce pilots has been ongoing in war-torn Sudan. So far, 1,360 stranded Indians have been returned to India under ‘Operation Kaveri‘. However, the evacuation operation carried out on the intervening night of April 27 and 28 from a small airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna, about 40 kilometres north of the violence-hit Sudan capital of Khartoum, proved exceedingly challenging for the IAF pilots due to the small degraded airstrips and unlit runways.
Despite the challenges, IAF pilots safely rescued 121 individuals from Wadi Sayyidna in Sudan. Those rescued included medical cases, a pregnant lady and people who had no means to reach Port Sudan.
“This approximately two-and-a-half-hour operation between Wadi Sayyidna and Jeddah will go down in the annals of IAF history for its sheer audacity and flawless execution – akin to that carried out in Kabul,” Bharat Bhushan Babu, the Spokesperson for Ministry of Defence tweeted on April 29, 2023 (Saturday).
This approximately two and a half hour operation between Wadi Sayyidna and Jeddah will go down in the annals of IAF history for its sheer audacity and flawless execution – akin to that carried out in Kabul. (2/2)@giridhararamane @EoI_Khartoum pic.twitter.com/qa0TXjXTz6
— A. Bharat Bhushan Babu (@SpokespersonMoD) April 29, 2023
As per reports, the pilots of the C-130J aircraft performed night landings using Night Vision Goggles (NVG) because the airstrip was in poor condition and lacked navigational approach aids as well as fuel and landing lights, which are required to guide an aircraft to land at night.
The crew used their Electro-Optical/Infrared sensors as they approached the airfield to confirm that there were no impediments and that no hostile forces were in the area.
After ensuring that the runway was clear, the aircrew executed a tactical approach on a dark night. The aeroplane engines were left running after landing. Eight IAF Garud Commandos from the special forces team secured the passengers and their belongings inside the plane.
The take-off was also performed with NVGs, as was the perfect landing on the dark runway.
The Indians were evacuated from Port Sudan to Jeddah after the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend their ceasefire amid ongoing violence in the capital Khartoum and the western Darfur region. Indians are being taken from Port to Jeddah on Navy ships and C-130J planes, from where they are being flown to India on C17 jet planes.
The previous ceasefire has not stopped the fighting but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese, as well as, foreign nationals to leave for safer areas.
