Daring night rescue operation in Sudan by IAF

Credit: Special arrangement

Credit: Special arrangement

Credit: Special arrangement

Credit: Special arrangement

Credit: Special arrangement

In a daring operation carried out on the intervening night of April 27-28, an Indian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft rescued 121 personnel from a small airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna, about 40 km north of Khartoum, in strife-torn Sudan.

The passengers included medical cases, including a pregnant lady, besides those who had no means to reach Port Sudan.

This is the same airport where Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shot at a Turkish evacuation plane as it was landing on Friday, damaging its fuel system.

The convoy was led by the Indian Defence Attaché, who was in continuous touch with IAF authorities all along till they reached the airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna, an IAF official said.

Also read: A pair of dress, passport is all we have, say Indian returnees from Sudan

The airstrip in question had a degraded surface, with no navigational approach aids or fuel, and most critically, landing lights that are required to guide an aircraft landing at an airport at night.

Approaching the airstrip, the aircrew used their electro-optical infrared sensors to ensure that the runway was free from any obstructions and no inimical forces were in the vicinity.

Having made sure of the same, the aircrew carried out a tactical approach with night-vision goggles on a practically pitch-dark night.

Upon landing, the aircraft engines were kept running while eight IAF Garud Commandos secured the passengers and their luggage into the aircraft.

As with the landing, the take-off from the unlit runway was also carried out using the night vision goggles.

“The approximately two-and-a-half-hour-long 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,” said an IAF official.

Two weeks of conflicts between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary RSF led to hundreds of deaths, and tens of thousands of people have fled the northeastern African nation.

The two factions agreed late on Thursday to extend a ceasefire by 72 hours to allow for humanitarian access, but fighting flared in parts of Khartoum on Friday.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said more than 3,000 Indians living in Sudan had registered with New Delhi’s diplomatic mission in Khartoum. Besides, an additional 300 had been in touch with the Embassy of India in the capital of Sudan, which had also been the home to about 900 to 1,000 PIOs (Persons of Indian Origins).