Sudan conflict: Canada ends evacuation flights

Canada ended evacuation flights in Sudan on Sunday, while about 230 Canadians remain trapped in the country in the midst of an armed conflict that has claimed hundreds of lives since mid-April.

• Also read: The first humanitarian aid plane has landed in Sudan

• Also read: Crisis in Sudan: At least one Canadian evacuation flight is scheduled for Saturday

In an update on the evacuations Sunday, Defense Minister Anita Anand confirmed that “due to grave conditions and as per decisions taken by our allies, we are not planning any more Canadian flights.”

She noted that the United Kingdom and the United States have also suspended evacuation flights for the time being.

Over the past few days, six flights led by Canada have evacuated nearly 550 people of different nationalities. More broadly, nearly 400 Canadians and permanent residents have been evacuated, either by Canadian or Allied flights.

Meanwhile, approximately 230 Canadians and permanent residents who sought help from Global Affairs Canada remain in the country.

“The Government of Canada is working with its allies to find other ways for its citizens to leave the country,” said Minister Anand, who referred to possible land or sea operations on Saturday.

In this sense, the diplomatic and military staff will be transferred to Port Sudan, on the edge of the Red Sea, about 700 kilometers from the capital, Khartoum. Two Canadian ships are also in the area to assist operations.