Canada Has Completed Its First Evacuation Flight Out of Sudan: Defence Minister

Canada Has Completed Its First Evacuation Flight Out of Sudan: Defence Minister
Minister of National Defence Anita Anand holds a media availability on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Jan. 26, 2023. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby
Peter Wilson
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Defence Minister Anita Anand says Canada has completed its first evacuation flight out of Sudan as a number of Canadians stuck in the war-torn country seek help to flee.

Anand said on April 27 that the Canadian military carried out the evacuation flight using a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft but did not specify how many individuals were evacuated on the flight.

“There will be more details to share soon,” Anand told reporters in Enfield, Nova Scotia. “We are operating almost in real-time and we want to make sure that we have all the details in place.”

Anand’s comments on the matter come several days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada had a C-17 military plane in Sudan for the purpose of airlifting Canadians out of the country, but said at the time that Canada was still relying on other countries to evacuate its citizens on their planes or boats.

Sudan erupted in violence last week after conflict broke out between the country’s army and its paramilitary force.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said on April 26 that another 50 Canadians had been evacuated out of Sudan, bringing the total number of Canadian evacuees up to 150.

At the time, Joly said around 1,800 Canadian citizens or permanent residents had registered themselves as being present in Sudan, with 700 of them asking for help escaping the country.

The total number of Canadians in Sudan includes both dual nationals and permanent residents of Canada, along with foreigners related to them.

Anand said on April 27 that Canada has planned additional evacuations set to take place “over the next number of days.”

“There are a number of challenges on the ground given a very volatile situation in Sudan,” she said.

“This is an ongoing process and we'll continue to share details as we have them.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.