Sudan: IAF Executes Daring Midnight Operation From Small, Degraded Airstrip; 121 Indians Evacuated Amidst Fighting

In a daring night operation, the Indian Air Force successfully evacuated 121 Indians from a small airstrip at Wadi Seyidna airport, located approximately 40 km north of Khartoum in Sudan.

The evacuation was carried out on the intervening night between Thursday and Friday by a C-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft.

The operation, named Kaveri, is part of India's ongoing efforts to evacuate thousands of Indians stranded in Sudan due to the ongoing conflict between two warring factions of the security forces.

While a large number of Indians have already been brought back to the country by the IAF and the Navy, this particular rescue was unique in that it was conducted in the interior of the war-torn country.

“The airstrip had a degraded surface with no navigational approach aids or fuel and most critically landing lights, which are required to guide an aircraft landing at night,” IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Ashish Moghe has been quoted by the Times of India as saying.

"The convoy to the airstrip, where a Turkish evacuation plane had come under fire from one of the warring factions, was led by the Indian defence attaché who was in continuous touch with IAF authorities all along till they reached the airstrip at Wadi Seyidna, as part of the ongoing Operation Kaveri to evacuate Indians from Sudan," the report said.

Typically, Indians have been rescued from Port Sudan, a city on the Red Sea coast of Sudan. However, the successful evacuation from Wadi Seyidna airport marks a significant accomplishment for the Indian Air Force, given the challenging circumstances of the rescue.

With the ongoing conflict in Sudan showing no signs of abating, the evacuation efforts are likely to continue in the coming weeks.