(Ottawa) The Royal Canadian Air Force made its first flight to evacuate Canadian nationals from Sudan. This was confirmed by the Minister of National Defense, Anita Anand, Thursday, during a press conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Further details are expected in the morning during a briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Two Canadian Armed Forces CC-130 Hercules aircraft were ready yesterday for evacuation flights as soon as conditions permitted. However, the situation is volatile and Global Affairs Canada had warned that these conditions, once met, might not remain so for very long.
Of some 1,800 Canadians in Sudan, according to the Global Affairs registry, about 700 had requested some form of assistance, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a scrum on Wednesday.
Canada lags behind other countries in repatriation.
A 72-hour ceasefire came into effect on Monday, but the truce remained very fragile as fresh fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitaries broke out in the capital, Khartoum.
With Melanie Marquis