Canada pauses rescue flights from Sudan after mechanical trouble, reports of shooting
OTTAWA-The government's plan to airlift more Canadians from the deadly conflict in Sudan was temporarily grounded Friday after one plane had mechanical problems and militants shot at a Turkish evacuation flight - and officials warned time is running out to safely rescue people from the conflict by air.
Speaking to reporters in Dartmouth, N.S., Defence Minister Anita Anand said two more government flights were supposed to take off Friday morning, but one of the Canadian military planes being used - a C-130J Hercules - had a mechanical issue" that was soon resolved. Then the operation hit another dramatic snag when combatants near the evacuation airport in Sudan shot at a Turkish plane at the Wadi Sayiddna airbase north of Khartoum, officials confirmed Friday.
One government official said a Turkish crew member was wounded and that neither side of the Sudanese conflict - which is pitting armed factions led by two warring generals against each other - has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The airport was closed for several hours but later reopened as Canadian planes were en route to Sudan to stage their delayed evacuations, said the officials, who briefed journalists about the situation Friday afternoon on condition they weren't named.
They said the Canadian planes have enough space - each has the capacity for 100 evacuees - to carry all eligible Canadians who have asked to be airlifted from the Khartoum area in the near term."
But the officials also warned the window" to safely conduct airlifts is closing quickly," and that the Canadian military is working with officials from the United States to ensure there is a way for evacuees to travel to the Port of Sudan to potentially get out of the country.
It's important to keep in mind that there is active fighting throughout Sudan," one official said, stating that it could take more than 30 hours to travel from the capital of Khartoum to the coast.
The situation is dangerous. It is volatile, it is intense, and we need to do whatever we can to ensure the safety and security of Canadians at the airport and of course as they board flights and take off from the area," Anand told reporters Friday morning, adding that all options to help get people out by sea or land are also on the table.
We are not waiting to plan contingencies. We are undertaking that planning as we speak because of the volatility of the situation," she said.
The Canadian Armed Forces has around 200 soldiers and two Hercules aircraft in the region, and Canada staged two evacuation flights on Thursday. Officials said Thursday that those flights, which took off with dozens of empty seats, carried Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their dependants, as well as people from other countries, and Sudanese staff at the Canadian embassy and their dependants.
Until Thursday, Canada had relied on other countries who were sending planes to evacuate their citizens from the conflict in the northeast African country. As of Friday afternoon, around 300 Canadians had received help leaving Sudan, including on flights arranged by Canada and other countries, officials said.
Since April 15, Sudan has been gripped by fighting between armed factions led by feuding generals who were part of a military coup in 2021. Tens of thousands of people have fled the conflict already, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday. As many as 20,000 have crossed Sudan's border to seek refuge in neighbouring Chad, and those fleeing are in dire need" of food, water and shelter, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The UN is also reporting that at least 512 people have been killed so far, describing the death toll - provided by the Sudanese Ministry of Health - as almost certainly a very conservative estimate."
Global Affairs Canada has said hospitals have been shutdown amid street fighting and looting, and officials expressed concern that a fragile ceasefire between the warring generals was tenuous at best.
The federal government has said more than 1,700 Canadians in Sudan have registered with Global Affairs, and that more than 450 have requested help.
Alex Ballingall is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @aballinga