Justin Trudeau said Tuesday morning that Ottawa is making efforts to airlift out of Sudan and that two military ships have arrived off its coast, as violence in that country continues for a second week.
Prime Minister says federal government is coordinating with allies to evacuate Canadian citizens from Sudan, where fighting between the military and a rival paramilitary group erupted in the East African country earlier this month , killing hundreds and injuring thousands.
“It’s an extremely difficult situation,” said Mr. Trudeau. There are very few places from which these air bridges can be made. »
A Canadian in Sudan, Waddaha Medani, 29, said she went to an airbase on the outskirts of the capital, Khartoum, on Tuesday morning after learning of a suspected evacuation flight.
She told The Canadian Press in messages on Tuesday that she had boarded a German plane due to leave for Jordan, where she was told she could then catch a flight back to Ottawa.
Trudeau said Monday that 58 Canadians had already left the country on a German flight and that a C-17 transport plane was in the area.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday morning that 100 Canadians had already left the country. She thanked Germany, France, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for “helping to evacuate” the Canadians.
Ms. Joly said those who have now left the country are among 1,700 Canadians registered with the government and contacted by federal authorities. Of that number, 550 people asked for help, she said.
The minister says the federal government also provides information to people trying to leave the country on their own. She points out that safe passage for Canadians has already been negotiated with several countries in the region, including Kenya, Ethiopia and Egypt.
Ceasefire not respected
While calling the situation in Sudan “still fragile”, Minister Joly said a three-day ceasefire announced on Monday evening was helping evacuation efforts.
“We are working to ensure that we carry out our own civilian evacuation, but we are not wasting time. And we’re making sure that happens as we speak,” she said.
But the fighting continued on Tuesday, even though the generals at the head of the Sudanese army and the rival Rapid Support Forces had pledged to observe the truce.
Explosions, gunfire and the roar of warplanes were heard in the capital region on Tuesday.
Residents have reported an escalation in clashes in West Darfur province, where the Rapid Support Forces have their roots, emerging from Janjaweed militias blamed for widespread atrocities in putting down a rebellion in the early 2000s.
A number of short ceasefires over the past week have failed or brought only small truces in the clashes that have raged since April 15 between rival forces led by the country’s two top generals.
While the lulls have led to the evacuation of hundreds of foreigners, they have brought little relief to millions of Sudanese struggling to find food, shelter and medical care, in a country where a third of the population of 46 million was already in need of humanitarian aid.
Civilians are among 459 people killed and at least 4,070 injured since the fighting began, the UN World Health Organization said, citing Sudan’s health ministry.
Trudeau also said Tuesday he had spoken with the African Union chair to offer Canada’s support.
National Defense Minister Anita Anand said the government was trying to help anyone who needed it, but described the situation as “extremely unstable and extremely intense”.