‘Utter chaos’: Canadian in Sudan describes fighting, trouble leaving
By Adrian Ghobrial and Daniel Otis
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TORONTO (CTV Network) — A Canadian citizen stuck in Sudan says the country has descended into “utter chaos.”
“Our neighbours to the north and south of us were both hit by a (rocket-propelled grenade)– thankfully nobody was injured,” Safia Mustafa told CTV News from outside Sudan’s capital. “We sleep usually during the day if we can, because at night it’s so scary: all you hear is bombs going off everywhere and you don’t know you’re going to be hit.”
Mustafa, who grew up in St. Catharines, Ont., moved to Sudan two years ago to help care for her elderly parents and grandmother.
“My dad passed away two months ago, God rest his soul, and now we’re in the middle of a war,” Mustafa said in a video call beset with connection issues. “I don’t know how I’m going to get out of here.”
Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured since fighting broke out on April 15 between the Sudanese military and a rival paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would begin conducting airlifts from the east African country.
“Obviously the situation in Sudan is extraordinarily concerning,” Trudeau told reporters Tuesday morning. “We’re looking at doing direct airlifts — lifts of Canadians and dependants.”
A German flight evacuated 58 Canadians on Monday. Of the approximately 1,500 Canadians registered in the country, about 100 have made it out with help from Germany, France, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. According to Canada’s foreign minister, 550 Canadians have asked for assistance leaving. Canadian diplomats have already been evacuated from Sudan.
“For the first few days, we didn’t really hear anything from the Canadian government or the embassy here in Sudan,” Mustafa said. “They’ve evacuated their staff, and I’m really glad that they’re safe, but there was nothing done for the citizens here until now.”
Mustafa now faces the painful choice of staying in Sudan or fleeing without her 90-year-old grandmother.
“Basically you’re being told to get yourself to a location and being evacuated from there, but unfortunately, because my grandma is not a Canadian citizen, we haven’t been offered that opportunity yet ” Mustafa said. “So the choice is either to leave her behind, which is not really a choice, or save ourselves.” Even getting to a rendezvous point could prove deadly. Mustafa and her family live on a Nile River island that has only one bridge connecting it to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, where fighting is rampant.
“When you’re crossing bridges, there’s a risk of getting hit, being targeted,” Mustafa explained. Taking a boat comes with the same danger.
“There’s no way my grandmother can make the overland journey, which is the other choice that is on the table right now: to go all the way to Egypt, which is taking over three days for people,” Mustafa said. “I really don’t have to bury my grandmother on the side of the road.”
For now, the family can only hope for the best.
“We have to stay put until they offer all of us a way,” Mustafa said. “It’s just it’s a little disheartening that I have to choose between my grandmother or life.”
Supplies are running low in their house, and Mustafa guesses they have about a week’s worth of food left.
“If we have to make the journey we need to do that now,” she said. “We can’t wait another week, right? We don’t know how bad things are going to get, and I really don’t want to find out.”
With files from The Canadian Press
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