She said another problem that emerged is an oil patch on a runway used for evacuations in Sudan.
“The situation is very dangerous and very volatile on the ground. This situation is evolving rapidly. I am receiving updates on the hour,” Anand told reporters in Dartmouth, N.S.
“We are planning to ensure that flights are able to leave as soon as possible. We had planned for two flights to leave this morning, but the situation on the ground remains volatile.”
She said roughly 250 Canadians have been evacuated out of the East African country, which has faced a shocking uptick in violence over the last two weeks between the country’s military and paramilitary forces.
“We are looking to continue flights as quickly as possible alongside our allies,” he said at a news conference in New York City on Friday morning.
“It’s a real effort combined with many, many different countries to try and get citizens out of Sudan and that’s something that we will continue to be part of.”
“The terrain at the airport is very rough. And it requires a continual assessment by our officials together with our allies,” Anand said.
“We need to do whatever we can to ensure the safety and security of Canadians at the airport.”
Anand added that aside from military flights, Ottawa is still looking at various ways to help Canadians get out of the country.
“This is an evolving planning process. We are not waiting to plan contingencies. We are undertaking that planning as we speak, because of the volatility of the situation.”
The Turkish news site Daily Sabah reported that the country’s defence ministry says a C-130 flight was shot at with small arms. The ministry reportedly accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of shooting at the plane, which the group denied.