German plane airlifts 58 Canadians from Sudan, as Canadian plane readies for more
Canada is welcoming the announcement of a new 72-hour ceasefire agreement in Sudan late Monday, though the chief of the defence staff warns the situation in the east African country makes any evacuation operation challenging.
"We have been consumed with this over the last 96 hours to ensure that Canadians are safe," Gen. Wayne Eyre told the Senate defence committee Monday afternoon.
But he warned that infrastructure to carry out a non-combatant evacuation operation is limited.
"The main international airfield in Khartoum is closed, any other airhead in the locale of Khartoum is very limited," Eyre said.
"Planning is ongoing. We've moved forces into the region, we've got more, as we speak, in the air."
Defence Minister Anita Anand told the committee that Canada is working with allies on efforts to evacuate Canadian citizens.
"We have extracted our diplomats and we are working on additional options and contingency plans for Canadians more generally," she said in an interview.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in a statement late Monday afternoon that a nationwide ceasefire will begin at midnight, "following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours."
Blinken also said the U.S. will co-ordinate with other countries and Sudanese civilians to create a committee to oversee a permanent end to the fighting.
Anand welcomed the news, saying a pause in the fighting would be helpful.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau provided only a limited update earlier on Monday.
"I just heard earlier today that a German plane lifted off from Khartoum with one German citizen on it and 58 Canadian citizens," he said Monday afternoon.
"We have a C-17 in the region too, and we will be airlifting as well."
Trudeau was speaking at a photo-op with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Ottawa, sayingthe recent airlift is an example of great co-operation between Canada and Germany.
Anand would not say whether Canadian Armed Forces are actually in Sudan, citing operational security.
Heavy gunfire and thundering explosions rocked Khartoum Monday in continued fighting between the country's military and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces.
More than 420 people, including at least 273 civilians, have been killed and more than 3,700 wounded since the fighting began April 15,after power-sharing negotiations between the two sides rapidly deteriorated.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said on Monday that Canada was trying to contact all Canadians in Sudan who have registered with the government, and she repeated calls for anyone who hasn't yet done so to get in touch immediately.
One Canadian in Khartoum, Waddaha Medani, said she was sent an email from the Canadian government at 2:45 a.m. local time Monday, telling her to "reserve a seat on an evacuation flight" being planned for as early as noon that day.
But because the country's internet and phone services largely collapsed this weekend, she only got the email later that afternoon, and said she had not heard back directly as of Monday night from the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa.
"We're already frustrated, we already don't know what's happening and what's going to happen. And the communication is basically poor," she said in an interview.
The 29-year-old said she was left mulling whether to make a dangerous trip Tuesday morning to an airbase on the outskirts of the city, where her sister in Ottawa got wind of an apparent evacuation flight.
"It's not safe at all. You're literally taking the chance. You don't know if you're going to make it or not. That's how it is," Medani said.
"They keep saying there's a ceasefire at the moment. However, they're not really respecting it. We still hear gunshots."
As of Monday, 1,473Canadians were formally registered in Sudan, but experts say they believe the number of Canadians in the country is likely much higher.
People in the country are facing a harrowing search for safety in the constantly shifting battle of explosions, gunfire and armed fighters looting shops and homes. Food and fuel are leaping in price and harder to find, and hospitals are near collapse.
Amid that chaos, a stream of European, Mideast, African and Asian military aircraft flew into Khartoum all day Sunday and Monday to extract foreign nationals who were moving past combatants at the city's tense front lines.
France secured use of a military base on the outskirts of Khartoum to use as an extraction point for nearly 500 people of various nationalities who made their way there in their own vehicles or using private security firms.
Others drove hundreds of miles to the Port of Sudan on the country's east coast, where boats can depart to cross the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia and where some nations are operating flights.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington has placed intelligence and reconnaissance assets along the overland evacuation route from the capital to the port to help protect convoys of evacuees. He said the U.S. does not have any troops on the ground.
Yet U.S. special operations forces carried out a precarious evacuation at the American Embassy in Khartoum on Sunday, sweeping in and out of the capital with helicopters on the ground for less than an hour. No shots were fired and no major casualties were reported.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed that U.S. special forces evacuated six Canadians who were either diplomats or their dependents, alongside dozens of other diplomats from various countries.
"Canada extends its gratitude to the United States for its support," the department said Monday.
Canada suspended consular services in the country Sunday, but evacuated diplomats are working out of Djibouti to provide advice to Canadians stuck in the country, such as where they can find essentials like fuel and medicines.
They are also helping Canadians who have found their own ways to leave.
As of August 2022, the Khartoum embassy had six Canadian staff and 12 who were locally hired, according to data filed by the department with a Senate committee.
Ottawa is not evacuating its locally hired Sudanese staff, and says it is looking at all possible options to support them.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced Monday that his department will allow Sudanese citizens in Canada to move between temporary immigration streams so they can continue studying, working or visiting family.
"These measures would help ensure the continued safety of the Sudanese population already in Canada, keep families together and give them a safe place to stay," a news release reads.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will also facilitate immigration applications for Sudanese citizens in Sudan once it's safe to travel. That means prioritizing applications for temporary and permanent residence that are already in the system, such as family reunification applications and visitor visas.
The department will also waive fees for passports and permanent resident travel documents for those in Sudan who are eligible for those documents and wish to leave.
For many Sudanese people, the ongoing airlift of foreigners is a terrifying sign that international powers, after failing repeatedly to broker ceasefires, only expect a worsening of the fighting that has already pushed the population into disaster.
The military has appeared to have the upper hand in fighting in Khartoum, but the Rapid Support Forces still controls many districts in the capital and the neighbouring city of Omdurman, and has several large strongholds around the country. With the military vowing to fight until the group is crushed, many fear a dramatic escalation.
An earlier ceasefire, which was due to run out Monday evening, brought almost no reduction in fighting.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a "catastrophic conflagration" that could engulf the whole region. He urged the 15 members of the Security Council to "exert maximum leverage" on both sides in order to "pull Sudan back from the edge of the abyss."
Joly has spoken with her counterparts in both Egypt and the United Arab Emirates about the need for peace. Cairo has strong links with the Sudanese Armed Forces, and the Emirates have ties to the RSF.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023.
-- With files from The Associated Press and Jordan Omstead.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More Canadians only making minimum payment on credit cards: TransUnion
Some Canadians are seeing their credit card balances grow as the cost-of-living crisis and higher interest rates eat into household budgets, a new report shows.
Severe thunderstorms, 15 cm of snow: Canadian weather forecast highlights
Well into spring, some parts of Canada could experience a wintry comeback, while other areas are bracing for severe thunderstorms, according to local forecasts.
Tornado touches down west of the Island of Montreal
Emergency services in the town of Rigaud, Que. are investigating after a tornado touched down shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
House from 'Home Alone' hits the market for US$5.25 million
Kevin McCallister’s childhood home has hit the market for US$5.25 million. At just over 9,000 square feet, the house from the 'Home Alone' movie was last sold in 2012 for $1,585,000.
Teen was doing homework at family's Mississauga, Ont. restaurant when gunman opened fire: testimony
The 13-year-old sister of a young man killed in the attack on her family’s Mississauga restaurant in 2021 took the stand in a Brampton courthouse on Monday to describe the terrifying moments of coming under fire.
Israeli tanks advance into Rafah's centre despite global outcry
Israeli tanks advanced to the centre of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, witnesses said, three weeks into a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city that has stirred global condemnation for its continued civilian toll.
At least 60 reports of Lyme disease so far as Ontario enters tick season
Peak tick season is only just beginning but reports of bites – and tick-borne illnesses – are already higher than normal in Ontario.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
Arm of mummy came off after mishandling by museum staff: Mexican government
Mexico's federal archaeology agency on Monday accused the conservative-governed city of Guanajuato of mistreating one of the country’s famous mummified 19th century bodies.
Local Spotlight
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
'Forgot how fun this was': Winnipeg man competing in World Pinball Championship
A Winnipeg pinball wizard is heading to the granddaddy of them all – the IFPA World Pinball Championship.
Ottawa U20 ultimate Frisbee players to represent Canada at world championships this summer
It’s the chance of a lifetime for a group of Ottawa athletes who are getting ready to represent Team Canada at the World Junior Ultimate championships in the United Kingdom.
140-year-old downtown Winnipeg church on brink of collapse
Parishioners at Holy Trinity Anglican Church are praying for a monetary miracle, as their historic place of worship could collapse at any moment.
'Inspires a sense of adventure': Sask. man conquers Mount Everest
A Saskatchewan man made it to the summit of Mount Everest earlier this month.
New gold mine in northern Ontario could become biggest in Canada
IAMGOLD’s Cote Gold open pit mine, located off Highway 144 between Timmins and Sudbury, had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this week as production ramps up.
Pomp, circumstance, and Crocs: Barrie, Ont. couple's unforgettable day at Buckingham Palace
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
Tim Meadows pledges not to shave until the Oilers win the cup, who are the team's other famous fans?
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
'Near and dear to all filmmakers': Return of Regina's discount theatre bodes well for fans, movie makers alike
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.