(OTTAWA) Senior officials said Friday they are confident Canada has enough space on its planes to evacuate all citizens, permanent residents and family members who have requested assistance to leave Sudan. , but the window for making those flights safely is closing fast.
“There are seats for anyone who would like to leave now,” said Julie Sunday, assistant deputy minister for emergency management at Global Affairs Canada.
Vice Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, head of the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC), said two Armed Forces flights were en route to Khartoum by mid-afternoon on Friday, where people had been waiting since the cancellation of their flights earlier in the day.
Canada’s anticipated first flight of the day was delayed by a mechanical problem with a ramp, which was repaired too late for the Hercules aircraft to arrive when scheduled.
His second flight was also turned away when the airport was closed after a Turkish plane was fired upon from the ground which damaged the aircraft and injured a crew member.
“The targeting of allied aircraft indicates a change in the assessment of the threat under which we operate,” Mr Auchterlonie said.
It is unclear whether the plane was deliberately targeted, and neither the Sudanese Armed Forces nor the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces claimed responsibility for Friday’s shootings. Fighting continued throughout a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
“The window for safely extracting personnel by air is closing quickly,” Auchterlonie said, adding that the condition of the airfield was deteriorating and the military was now considering a second option for evacuations.
He said the United States was trying to open up a safe road network to help people travel the 840 kilometers from Khartoum to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. But this is a dangerous journey that can take up to 30 hours.
And although fighting has subsided during the ceasefire, if there is an upsurge in violence, officials expect another rush to the airport.
About 1,800 Canadians notified Global Affairs Canada that they were in Sudan.
Mme Sunday said about 400 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families have requested consular assistance, but only a fraction of them want help leaving the country.
Around 300 Canadians have already been airlifted to safe third countries amid a significant increase in violence in Sudan over the past two weeks. Others left on their own, traveling to neighboring countries by car or bus.
Global Affairs has more than 100 staff working around the clock, Mr.me Sunday, including a permanent rapid deployment team, people who must be ready to move within three hours of the call.
“We make sure they have visas for particular regions so they can settle in very quickly, and they have a very specialized skill set to be able to respond to these crisis scenarios,” the company said. assistant deputy minister.
Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was made aware of a mechanical problem and said it had been resolved. He said Canada was also working to try to bring peace to the country.
“It’s one thing to ensure our responsibilities to Canadians, but it’s another thing to continue working to restore peace and security for everyone in Sudan,” he said. at a press conference in New York.