Canada sending up to 200 troops to support evacuation of civilians in Sudan

Canada will deploy about 200 troops to help coordinate the evacuation of civilians from war-torn Sudan, Defense Minister Anita Anand confirmed Wednesday.

Before question time in the House of Commons, Anand told a group of journalists who quickly gathered that two C-130J Hercules transports were in East Africa preparing for a flight to Khartoum “as soon as the conditions on the ground permit.”

Global Affairs Canada says up to 1,800 Canadians are trapped between warring parties in Sudan and about 700 of them have indicated they want out.

A defense source told CBC News that a company of infantry soldiers from Camp Petawawa, Ont. expected to be deployed to provide force protection and help coordinate evacuations. Elements of the 1st Canadian Division headquarters had also been sent to provide additional supervision and coordination.

The troops will withdraw from Jordan, said a senior federal official speaking on background at a technical briefing in Ottawa.

Anand did not provide exact details of the military contingent and it was not clear whether the number given included the air detachment.

Anand also did not confirm the location of the plane or where the troops were going. Military flight tracker Steffan Watkins has data showing the transport plane was last reported in the east African country of Djibouti.

Federal officials, speaking on Wednesday, confirmed the presence of the plane in Djibouti and said it was accompanied by a small contingent of Canadian special operations forces.

Federal officials also said the Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal and supply ship MV Asterix were in the area and had moved into position with allied warships in a Sudanese port in anticipation of a possible sea evacuation.

Canadian officials said they were focusing on air evacuation routes because many evacuees had to travel more than 800 kilometers to reach the port. The official noted that the UN convoy had to pass 22 checkpoints “over extremely dangerous terrain” to reach the port.

Anand said the movement of Canadian personnel and equipment was already underway.

“The Canadian Armed Forces are providing military assistance to Canada’s efforts to evacuate eligible Canadians from Sudan. Canadian Armed Forces personnel and assets have been deployed to the region and are planning evacuation operations in a hostile and volatile security environment,” he told reporters.

The minister would not say when the evacuation operation would begin. Much depends on how long the ceasefire between Sudan’s warring factions lasts.

“Conditions on the ground should be right for Canadians to be evacuated via Canadian aircraft,” Anand said, adding that C-130s are ready to start picking up passengers if conditions on the ground improve.

Anand said that means it must be safe for planes to land, and safe for Canadian evacuees to get to the military airport in Khartoum that has been used by other allied countries for evacuation.

Federal officials, speaking on background, said consular services are still being provided to Canadians through an emergency center in Ottawa. He said he has reached out to people in the field who have registered with the government.

The official stressed that “there is no guarantee of future evacuation plans this week.”

The Sudanese Canadian Community Association is calling on Ottawa for special immigration measures that would open the door to family members who are not Canadian citizens. They want something like what was offered to the Afghans and Ukrainians who fled their countries.

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said it was a possibility.

“All of this is definitely something that the immigration minister is thinking about now, and it’s something that he will look at and work on,” Joly said early Wednesday.

Federal officials say people on evacuation flights out of Sudan themselves will not be charged for the flight — but once they’re in a third country, evacuees may be asked to pay to fly back to Canada.

“If Canadians are unable to pay for … travel, they can discuss this with consular staff,” the federal official said. “The goal is to bring people to third countries, and then assess them on a case-by-case basis.”