Canada halts Sudan air evacuations amid ‘dangerous conditions’

Sudan escalates, there are no further air evacuations planned for Canadians in the conflict-ridden African nation, Defence Minister Anita Anand has said.“The situation remains volatile, dangerous and unpredictable,” she said during a news conference Sunday, confirming Global News reporting Saturday evening that no more Canadian military planes were planned to carry out further evacuations.“Because of the dangerous conditions and in concert with decisions made by our allies, no further Canadian flights are planned from the Wadi Seidna airfield and Canadian Armed Forces personnel are clear of the airfield,” Anand said.She did not say whether flights could resume in the future if conditions improve.This comes after a senior military leader warned late last week that the window for air evacuations was rapidly closing as the situation on the ground continued to deteriorate.On Saturday, two Canadian military planes evacuated people to a third country.Since Thursday, six Canadian flights have airlifted evacuees out of Sudan.Today, two more @CanadianForces evacuation flights departed from Sudan to bring people to safety in a third country.

We will continue to do our utmost to assist Canadians in Sudan who require departure assistance, as conditions allow.— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) April 30, 2023So far, roughly 400 Canadians and permanent residents have been evacuated on Canadian military planes and allied aircraft.However, as of Sunday morning, approximately 230 Canadians still remain in Sudan seeking assistance and information from Global Affairs Canada, Anand said.“Our work is not done and the Government of Canada is providing consular assistance through Global Affairs Canada and working with allies to find possible ways.