Despite no navigational approach at airstrip, Garud commandos and IAF officials carried out daring rescue in Sudan

Despite the fact that the airstrip in Sudan’s Wadi Seidna lacked navigational aids, fuel, and landing lights (which are required to guide an aircraft landing at night), the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Garud Commandos conducted a daring overnight airlift of stranded Indians. The IAF C-130J aircraft rescued 121 people from a small airstrip at Wadi Seidna, which is about 40 kilometres north of Khartoum, Sudan, on the night of April 27, 28, 2023, according to an IAF statement.

Knowing that the airstrip lacked the necessary facilities to aid in the rescue mission, the aircrew used their Electro-Optical/Infrared sensors to ensure that the runway was clear of obstructions and that no hostile forces were in the area. After confirming this, the aircrew conducted a tactical approach using Night Vision Goggles on a nearly dark night.

The aircraft engines were kept running after landing while eight IAF Garud Commandos secured the passengers and their luggage inside the aircraft. NVGs were used for both the landing and the takeoff from the unlit runway. The passengers included a pregnant woman as well as those who had no other way to get to Port Sudan, according to an IAF statement.

The convoy was led by the Indian Defence Attache, who maintained constant contact with IAF authorities until they arrived at the airstrip at Wadi Seidna. This two-and-a-half-hour operation between Wadi Sayyidna and Jeddah will go down in IAF history for its sheer audacity and flawless execution – similar to that carried out in Kabul.

Meanwhile, as part of ‘Operation Kaveri,’ an Indian Air Force C-130J flight carrying 135 passengers took off from conflict-torn Sudan on Friday for Jeddah. On Friday, Mos MEA V Muraleedharan informed that so far, 2,100 Indians have arrived in Jeddah, as part of ‘Operation Kaveri’.

Meanwhile, Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said the INS Sumedha, which is stationed in Port Sudan, had also left the crisis-torn country with 300 passengers on board, bound for Jeddah. The INS Sumedha is carrying the 13th batch of evacuated Indians to Jeddah.

The Indian Air Force C-130J evacuated the 10th and 11th batches of 135 passengers from Port Sudan to Jeddah on the same day 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.

This comes after the army said it would extend the ceasefire “for an additional 72 hours” following mediation efforts by Saudi Arabia and the US in the final hours of the three-day truce, which was set to expire at midnight (22:00 GMT) on Thursday. The RSF also stated that it approved the extended cease-fire, adding that it was proposed by two diplomatic groups comprised of the United States, Saudi Arabia, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.

Conflicts between the army and paramilitary forces have resulted in bloodshed in Sudan. Despite a 72-hour cease-fire, there have been reports of violence. Soldiers loyal to Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary Rapid Support Soldiers (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, have clashed. India has deployed military planes and warships in the war-torn country to ensure that no Indian national is left behind.