Canada working to airlift citizens out of Sudan, may deploy troops to Africa
Defence source says government could send soldiers to Djibouti to assist evacuees
Behind-the-scenes preparations are underway for a direct Canadian military airlift of civilians trapped in Sudan as the eastern African country's warring sides struggled to abide by a three-day ceasefire brokered by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
On his way into a federal cabinet meeting Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there are Canadian aircraft and warships in the region and planning is underway to contribute to the international evacuation effort, which Canada's allies already have begun.
"We have assets in the region," Trudeau said. "We're looking at doing direct airlifts, lifts of Canadians and their dependents."
He said the government is still trying to determine which countries in the region would accept evacuation flights.
"There's very limited places where those airlifts can happen from," he said.
Trudeau also noted that a Canadian frigate and a supply ship are transiting through the nearby Red Sea and could link up with allies — notably the U.S. Fifth Fleet and the Royal Navy, which have started assembling off the Port of Sudan for a possible seaborne evacuation.
WATCH | Trudeau gives update on situation in Sudan
A defence source said consideration is being given to the deployment of a small contingent of Canadian troops to Djibouti to assist and help manage evacuees.
A spokesperson for Defence Minister Anita Anand refused to comment on the information. Before a Senate committee on Monday and before cabinet on Tuesday, Anand said a number of options are being considered.
Anand said it's up to individual Canadians trapped on the ground to decide whether to stay or flee to the airport.
"What we are trying to do, as a government, is to assist anyone and everyone who has requested assistance and that's what we've been able to accomplish," she said.
Hisham Mohammed, a Canadian of Sudanese origin who was trapped in Khartoum for days while the fighting raged on, told CBC News Network on Monday that the only advice he received from Global Affairs Canada was to shelter in place.
Over a three-day period before fleeing to Egypt, he called the foreign ministry helpline and told them conditions were getting dangerous.
"I had to decide what I'm going to do because, you know, we were running out of water, food ... no power," he said, adding he was grateful to make it all the way to Cairo overland.
"I wish they would have done more ... you know?" he said, referring to Global Affairs.
Sudan 'very volatile environment': foreign minister
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly defended the response of her department when asked before cabinet on Tuesday.
"The situation in Sudan happened very quickly," she said.
She noted the department sent a diplomatic team last week to nearby Djibouti to assist in the coordination of the international evacuation effort.
The situation on the ground remains tenuous, she said.
"We know that the situation is extremely difficult and until the ceasefire that happened last night, well, Khartoum was one of the most dangerous places in the world," said Joly.
She added that the warring Sudanese generals do not necessarily "have command and control on their folks and so that makes it a very volatile environment in which we can help to evacuate."
WATCH | Foreign affairs minister provides update on evacuation efforts in Sudan
A series of short cease-fires over the past week have either failed outright or have led to only intermittent pauses in fighting that has raged between the forces of the country's two top generals since April 15. The lulls have been enough for dramatic evacuations of hundreds of foreigners by air and land, efforts which continued Tuesday.
Calls for negotiations to end the crisis in Africa's third-largest nation have been ignored.
Trudeau said he spoke Tuesday with the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the two expressed deep concern about the civil war.
A readout of the conversation from the Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders discussed ongoing mediation efforts and urged all parties to cease hostilities.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Richard Raycraft