‘Not One-off Mission, Most Dangerous’: Jaishankar in Video About ‘What Happened in Operation Kaveri’

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India had just completed ‘Operation Kaveri’, through which close to 4,000 Indians were evacuated from crisis-ridden Khartoum in Sudan. He said the operation was not just a one-off rescue mission but one of the most complicated and dangerous.

In a video that he posted on his Twitter, Jaishankar is seen explaining exactly what went down during Operation Kaveri. He said the central government did not release too many details about it in the public domain so as to keep stranded Indians out of danger, adding that 11 to 12 percent of those rescued and brought back were from Karnataka.

“We just completed Operation Kaveri; somewhere, if some people are still stuck, we will make that additional effort but remember Operation Kaveri was not a one-off mission, it was a particularly complicated operation. We were hesitant to speak about it in public as I was worried that if we highlighted the predicament of our people there, we would be putting them in danger,” Jaishankar said.

The foreign minister said the rescue mission was conducted with the help of the armed forces – 17 flights operated by the air force and five sorties by naval ships. “This was the most dangerous mission, for which people put their own lives at risk,” he said.

‘Indian embassy officials risked their own lives’

Applauding the efforts of the team at the Indian embassy in Khartoum for sticking around till all stranded citizens were evacuated, Jaishankar said there were other embassies that left immediately when the fighting started. “But our embassy stayed because there were Indians there. Even after all the Indians left, our embassy stayed. The ambassador and the team had a sense of responsibility and said they will help as there are people still stuck at several places. When the ceasefire broke down, I even told them they were putting their lives at risk and asked them to relocate,” he said.

The foreign minister even explained the kind of challenges faced by the rescue teams. Giving one instance about the flight from Wadi Sayyidna, which was executed at great risk, he said there was no proper landing airstrip for it and a plane had been shot up in that area before.

“Yet, these people took the risk of landing there taking little help from the air traffic controller. I think it was non-existent and they landed there using old-fashioned skills, taking a bit of a chance. The courage shown by the rescue team that landed there can only be matched with the courage of the embassy staff on the ground,” he said.

Jaishankar also said people needed to trust the central government as it was one that had systems in place and a commitment to citizens abroad.

“When the fighting started in Sudan, I was travelling and, within a matter of a few hours, the prime minister (Narendra Modi) contacted me to ensure that we had set up a crisis management group. Systems were coming into place as we were reaching out through the ambassadors to all the countries concerned and we were getting the IAF and navy ready for the rescue ops,” he said.

The minister said the embassy staff on the ground arranged to hire 60 to 70 buses, got petrol in the black market and even negotiated at different checkpoints across the country. One of the buses even traversed through the length and breadth of Sudan to reach the coast to avoid the fighting.

Earlier on May 5, Jaishankar said an IAF C130J flight carrying 47 passengers had landed in India. With its arrival, 3,862 persons had been moved out of Sudan through Operation Kaveri, he added.

He also praised the prime minister for his commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Indians abroad. He said moving stranded Indians to Port Sudan from different locations across the country under a “precarious” security situation was a “complex exercise”.

“Via 17 Indian Airforce flights and 5 Indian Navy Ship sorties, our people were moved from Port Sudan to safety in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 86 nationals were evacuated through the countries bordering Sudan,” he tweeted. “From Jeddah, airforce and commercial flights have brought people home. We are grateful to Saudi Arabia for hosting them and facilitating this process. Also appreciate the support of Chad, Egypt, France, South Sudan, UAE, UK, USA and UN. Recognize the contribution of my colleague, @MOS_MEA whose presence on the ground was a source of strength and reassurance.”

Read all the Latest India News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here