As the violence in Sudan escalates, there are no further air evacuations planned for Canadians in the conflict-ridden African nation, Defence Minister Anita Anand has said.
“The situation remains volatile, dangerous and unpredictable,” she said during a news conference Sunday, confirming Global News reporting Saturday evening that no more Canadian military planes were planned to carry out further evacuations.
“Because of the dangerous conditions and in concert with decisions made by our allies, no further Canadian flights are planned from the Wadi Seidna airfield and Canadian Armed Forces personnel are clear of the airfield,” Anand said.
She did not say whether flights could resume in the future if conditions improve.
This comes after a senior military leader warned late last week that the window for air evacuations was rapidly closing as the situation on the ground continued to deteriorate.
On Saturday, two Canadian military planes evacuated people to a third country.
Since Thursday, six Canadian flights have airlifted evacuees out of Sudan.
So far, roughly 400 Canadians and permanent residents have been evacuated on Canadian military planes and allied aircraft.
However, as of Sunday morning, approximately 230 Canadians still remain in Sudan seeking assistance and information from Global Affairs Canada, Anand said.
“Our work is not done and the Government of Canada is providing consular assistance through Global Affairs Canada and working with allies to find possible ways for those who wish to depart Sudan,” she said.
Sources tell Global News that Canadians looking to leave Sudan could now possibly depart by coordinated road moves run by the United States.
Sebastien Beaulieu, an executive at Global Affairs Canada, said that given the volatile situation on the ground, travelling by road “may not always be the best option.”
“Evacuation by road from Khartoum is a 30-hour journey with many risks along the way, and not everyone is able to do that,” he said Sunday at the same press conference.
“We are also recommending if the situation worsens, that people shelter in place.”
Canada is also looking at beefing up its presence in the Port of Sudan, roughly a 12-hour drive away from the capital of Khartoum. Canada already has naval capabilities there and it has been a key location other countries have used to evacuate their citizens.
From the port, evacuees would travel to Saudi Arabia on an arduous 24-hour boat ride.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly will be in Kenya for the next few days to help inform Canada’s response to the crisis in Sudan.
She is set to meet with people evacuated from the East African country, including diplomatic staff who worked there until a shocking outbreak of violence earlier this month.
Joly will also meet with humanitarian groups to get a sense of the needs of people in Sudan, as well as those who have fled to neighbouring countries.
She also plans to meet with former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, the country’s only civilian leader in recent decades, who was deposed in a 2021 coup.
Kenya has been a leading voice in trying to find a mediated solution to the conflict, and it hosts the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a group focused on peace and prosperity in East African countries.
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.
Some of the deadliest battles have raged across Khartoum.
The generals, both with powerful foreign backers, were allies in an October 2021 military coup that halted Sudan’s fitful transition to democracy, but they have since turned on each other.
Ordinary Sudanese have been caught in the crossfire. Tens of thousands have fled to neighbouring countries, including Chad and Egypt, while others remain pinned down with dwindling supplies. Thousands of foreigners have been evacuated in airlifts and land convoys.
On Sunday, fighting continued in different parts of the capital where residents hiding in their homes reported hearing artillery fire. There have been lulls in the fighting, but never a fully observed cease-fire, despite repeated attempts by international mediators.
— with files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press