Dozens of Canadians evacuated from Sudan

MISE À DAY

Nearly 60 Canadians have been evacuated from Sudan thanks to a German plane, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed on Monday, briefly addressing the issue of some 1,600 Canadians stranded in the country torn by an internal war. 

Mr. Trudeau said, on the sidelines of a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Ottawa, that he had just learned that a German plane had just taken off from the capital Khartoum with 58 Canadians on board.

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A C-17 military cargo plane from Canada has also arrived in the region and is expected to carry out a transport flight, the Prime Minister added.

This revelation comes the day after the announcement the closure of the Canadian embassy in Sudan, a decision also taken by several Western countries.

At the same time, Ottawa announced Monday that Sudanese in Canada whose visas are about to expire “will be able to apply for free extending their status in Canada and changing their temporary category to allow them to continue to study, work and be with their families.”

“Canada will also waive passport fees and permanent resident travel document for citizens and permanent residents of Canada in Sudan who wish to leave,” added Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Since mid-April, Sudan has been ravaged by a conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces which left at least 420 dead and 3,700 injured, according to the World Health Organization.

The two camps, however, agreed on Monday to respect a three-day truce, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced.