Sudan crisis: Canadian special forces on the ground amid evacuation race

Canadian, other governments under pressure to evacuate remaining nationals amid temporary ceasefire in Sudan crisis that has killed at least 427 people and injured thousands more.

Canadian military personnel including special forces members are already on the ground in Sudan to assist with evacuation efforts as rival military leaders battle for control of the country, multiple sources tell Global News.

Three sources told Global News the CAF task force includes both regular forces and members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces. It’s not clear when the task force arrived in Sudan, but the group has been planning the extraction of Canadian citizens as the brutal conflict stretches into a second week.

The sources said the special forces members have also been tasked with force protection efforts.

More than 11 days into the crisis in Sudan, roughly 100 Canadians have been evacuated from the country out of the 573 who have requested assistance, Global Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told the House of Commons late Tuesday night.

Joly said that more than 1,700 Canadians in Sudan are registered with the federal government, and all have been contacted.

Fighting broke out in Africa’s third largest country on April 15 between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and a paramilitary organization known as the Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting has cast a shadow over hopes that Sudan could transition to democracy after decades of dictatorship and civil war.

Since the outbreak of the crisis, western governments – including Canada – have scrambled to evacuate diplomatic staff and nationals hoping to flee the hostilities. An uneasy three-day ceasefire brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia was reached Monday, but previous attempts to halt the fighting to allow civilians and foreign nationals to flee have failed.