Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 22, 2023. Ottawa says it's working on ways to try evacuating Canadians out of Sudan, and is asking them to register with Global Affairs Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Marwan Ali
OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada is working with “like-minded countries” to help citizens who remain in Sudan flee the country as an armed conflict there escalates.
Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured in just 10 days after power-sharing negotiations between the country’s armed forces and its paramilitary troops rapidly deteriorated.
Joly says Global Affairs Canada is trying to contact all Canadians in Sudan who have registered with the government, and anyone who hasn’t yet done so is urged to get in touch immediately.
Almost 1,600 Canadians were formally registered in Sudan as of Saturday, but experts believe the number of Canadians in the country is likely much higher.
Canada suspended consular services in the East African country Sunday, and reports said Canadian diplomats had left.
Ottawa is not evacuating its locally hired Sudanese staff, and says it is looking at all possible options to support them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023.
