Canada conducted its first evacuation of citizens from Sudan today, transporting more than 100 individuals, including Canadians and foreign nationals, on two flights. Earlier, approximately 180 Canadians were evacuated from the region with the help of other countries while the federal government works on executing its own operations to evacuate civilians. Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand confirmed at a press conference in Nova Scotia that "the first Canadian evacuation flight from Sudan used a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force." She explained that "the majority of Canadians are located in the Sudanese capital and that efforts to evacuate them by land or sea greatly increase the time they may be in danger."
Anand added, "At this moment, planning is underway to ensure that as many Canadians as possible can be evacuated as quickly as possible." Officials reported that "the first flight transported 45 Canadians in addition to citizens from allied countries, while the second flight carried 73 individuals a few hours later." The evacuation was carried out without incidents, and those evacuated were taken to a third location before they could return to their home countries. The Canadian Armed Forces is planning future evacuation operations in the coming days.
The Canadian Ministry of Defence had "deployed approximately 200 soldiers and two C-130 Hercules aircraft to coordinate evacuation operations from Sudan."
