New Delhi: Sixty six Indian nationals,
including 11 women and 12 children, were on Tuesday safely
evacuated from Abidjan, the capital of civil war-torn Ivory
Coast and taken to neighbouring country Ghana.
The Indians were flown to Ghanian capital Accra on a
Boeing 737 aircraft chartered by the Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) and were given necessary consular and other
assistance by Indian High Commission officials there, an MEA
statement here late in the night said.
"Our Missions in Abidjan and Accra arranged the
evacuation in close coordination with members of the Indian
community in Abidjan and other concerned authorities", it
said.
Today's pull-out came four days after the Indian
Ambassador to Ivory Coast Shamma Jain was evacuated from her
residence by UN and French forces in Abidjan in the wake of
heavy fighting there between fighters loyal to Alassane
Ouattara, the country's democratically elected President, and
Laurent Gbagbo who has refused to quit the post even after
losing the November 2010 elections.
India had on March 31 supported the UN Security
Council sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze on
Gbagbo, his wife and close aides.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 23:53