Canada suspends consular services in Sudan as diplomats evacuated

Canadian officials say they are temporarily suspending operations in Sudan with plans to get diplomats out of the country.

“The situation in Sudan has rapidly deteriorated making it impossible to safeguard the safety and security of our staff in Khartoum,” says a statement released Sunday by Global Affairs Canada. “Canadian diplomats will temporarily work from a safe location outside of the country.

The New York Times reported Sunday that U.S. special forces evacuated six Canadian diplomats, along with 70 American diplomats and some from other countries.

The BBC, meanwhile, reported Canadians were among a group evacuated by sea to Saudi Arabia. Global Affairs did not immediately confirm those reports.

There was no mention in the statement about the fate of some 1,600 Canadian citizens who are trapped in Sudan as fighting between rival generals rages on.

Nicholas Coghlan, Canada’s former top envoy to Sudan, said in a Sunday interview that the number is likely “considerably higher,” with many being dual nationals.

He said many Canadians abroad see registering as a needless hassle, while others believe their information will be shared with other branches of government such as the Canada Revenue Agency, despite laws preventing such data transfers.

We made the decision to temporarily suspend our operations in Sudan. Our diplomats are safe and working from a location outside of the country.

We remain in regular contact with Canadians affected by this crisis, providing them information and advice as the situation unfolds. https://t.co/oerHFWjtfP

— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) April 23, 2023

Global Affairs says it will continue working with the Government of Sudan, neighbouring countries, and the international community to coordinate the response to this crisis “and to support Canadians still in country.”

“Officials in Ottawa are in regular contact with Canadians affected, providing them information and advice as the situation develops,” it says, adding that Canadians in need of emergency consular service should contact the Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre:

• by calling +1 613-996-8885
• by text message at +1 613-686-3658
• via WhatsApp at +1 613-909-8881
• via Telegram at Canada Emergency Abroad
• by e-mail at sos@international.gc.ca

The Associated Press reports that more than 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed and over 3,700 wounded in the fighting.

On Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canadians in Sudan should “shelter in place” as there was no means of evacuating them from the country.

“The airport right now is inaccessible; the streets are unsafe. So the situation is extremely dire,” Joly said.

The ongoing violence has paralyzed the main international airport, destroying civilian planes and damaging at least one runway. Thick, black smoke filled the sky over Khartoum’s airport. Other airports also have been knocked out of operation.

Canada’s embassy sits near the country’s main international airport, making it one of the most dangerous areas in the country.

U.S., UK and European officials begin exodus

Foreign governments began evacuating diplomats, staff and others trapped in Sudan on Sunday as fighting continued for a ninth day with no sign of a truce that had been declared for a major Muslim holiday.

The Arqin border crossing with Egypt was crowded with about 30 passenger buses holding at least 55 people each, said Suliman al-Kouni, an Egyptian dental student who fled northward from Khartoum with dozens of other Egyptian students.

U.S. special forces swiftly evacuated 70 U.S. Embassy staffers from Khartoum to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia early Sunday. Although American officials said it was too dangerous to carry out a government-coordinated evacuation of private citizens, other countries scrambled to evacuate citizens and diplomats.

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted that U.K. armed forces evacuated British diplomatic staff and their families “amid a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff.” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said more than 1,200 military personnel were involved.

France, Greece and other European nations also organized an exodus. The Netherlands sent two Hercules C-130 planes and an Airbus A330 to Jordan to rescue 152 Dutch citizens who made their way from Sudan to an undisclosed evacuation point, but “not without risks,” said Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren.

Italy sent military jets to Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden to extract 140 Italian nationals from Sudan, many of whom took refuge in the embassy, said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

Overland travel through contested areas has proven dangerous. Khartoum is about 840 kilometers (520 miles) from Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

Files from The Associated Press were used in this report