Sudan crisis: More than 375 Canadians evacuated so far, situation ‘volatile’

More than 375 Canadians have been evacuated from Sudan as the situation in the conflict-ridden African nation remains “volatile and dangerous,” Defence Minister Anita Anand said Saturday.

Those evacuated have been carried out on Canadian military planes as well as allied aircrafts.

Canada began evacuating its citizens this week with two military flights airlifting Canadians out of Sudan on Thursday followed by two more on Friday.

A fifth Canadian flight was planned for Saturday, Anand said during a virtual news conference.

“(The) window for opportunity at the airfield is closing and so we continue to examine a number of options to evacuate Canadians, including through maritime assets and overground transport,” she said, adding that the fighting was moving closer to Wadi Seidna airport outside of the capital, Khartoum.

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“It is a dynamic situation and it requires us to track it closely and make decisions in the best interests of Canadians for their safety and security.”

In recent weeks, Sudan has been racked by fighting between the military and a rival paramilitary force, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are locked in a power struggle threatening to destabilize the wider region. Hundreds of civilians have been killed and thousands of others wounded.

The violence has quickly escalated, prompting several countries to close their embassies in the country as they race to get their citizens out safely.

For its evacuation efforts, Canada has deployed roughly 200 members of the Canadian Armed Forces to the region along with military planes and ships.

Anand said as of Friday, more than 300 Canadians were still in Sudan and have yet to be evacuated.

2:05 Sudan crisis: Canada starts evacuating people out of war-torn country

The federal government is also looking to assist Sudanese nationals coming to Canada by prioritizing completed immigration applications for temporary and permanent residents.

In the past week, 50 proof of citizenship applications received from Canadians residing in Sudan have been processed, said Immigration Minister Sean Fraser Saturday.

In addition, 85 of 154 temporary residence extensions were finalized as of Thursday, ensuring the safety of Sudanese foreign nationals already in Canada, he said.

Starting Sunday, Sudanese nationals will also be able to apply for an extension to their status in Canada and move between various temporary streams, allowing them to continue studying, working or visiting family free of charge.

“We’re going to continue to work with partners to facilitate processing while we monitor the situation and explore various immigration options going forward,” Fraser said.