Twenty-three countries request India to evacuate their citizens from Yemen

via TOI published on April 6, 2015

NEW DELHI: India’s massive operation using assets at its disposal to evacuate its nationals from strife-torn Yemen has made no less than 23 countries to seek help from it to evacuate their nationals as well.

Revealing this, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday tweeted: “Twenty three countries have requested India to evacuate their citizens from Yemen.”

On Sunday, the minister had assured that all Indian nationals would be evacuated from the strategically-placed country in the Middle East.

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) had earlier confirmed that 488 Indians had been evacuated from Sanaa, while a further 182 were rescued from coastal town Ash Shihr.

This followed the rescue of 439 Indians by the Indian Navy’s guided-missile destroyer INS Mumbai from Yemen’s port city Aden on Saturday.
Twenty three countries have requested India to evacuate their citizens from Yemen.

Earlier on Monday, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said “nearly all Indians would be evacuated from Yemen by Monday evening,” as he praised the Navy for facilitating safe return of people from the Arab country where fighting is raging between security forces and Houthi rebels.

Parrikar, who was in Mumbai to inaugurate the undocking of first Scorpene submarine, said, “Almost all Indians would be evacuated from the strife-torn Yemen by this evening.”

Praising the Navy for its “great job” in ensuring safe passage of Indians from the troubled spot under rescue exercise named “Operation Rahat”, Parrikar said “so far we have evacuated 3,000 Indians and some foreigners in desperate situation.”