Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced on Wednesday that nearly 50 more Canadians have been evacuated from Sudan in the past 24 hours. However, there are still more Canadians on a list who are seeking help to be airlifted out of the country. Last week, violence erupted between Sudan’s army and paramilitary force, forcing Canadian citizens and permanent residents to flee. So far, approximately 150 Canadians and permanent residents have been helped to get out of Sudan. The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, had previously stated that Canada had a C-17 military plane in the area to help airlift Canadians out, but has relied on other countries to find space on their transportation mediums. Approximately 1,800 Canadian citizens or permanent residents have registered their presence in Sudan, and 700 of those have asked to be assisted in leaving the country. Canada is also considering a request from Sudanese diaspora groups for their relatives to temporarily come to Canada until the violence dies down. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser stated on Wednesday that the government called in some workers from the Public Service Alliance of Canada who were on strike and deemed them essential workers to help process immigration paperwork for those in Sudan.
Joly said in a news conference on Parliament Hill, “In times of crisis, Canada’s always there to help, and that’s why we’ll be there,” noting that Canada is assisting not only dual nationals and permanent residents of Canada but also foreigners who are their spouses and dependents. Fraser announced that Canada is currently fast-tracking visitor visa applications filed by Sudanese citizens prior to the violence, and some fees are being waived, such as for Canadians with expired passports. Even though other countries have sent special-forces soldiers to Sudan, Defence Minister Anita Anand would not confirm whether Canada will do the same, stating that they are working closely with allies to ensure a secure and targeted approach to evacuate Canadians out of Sudan. While Canada has two ships off the coast in the Red Sea, Anand would not comment on when Canada will begin using its own planes to transport those seeking to leave Sudan.