(OTTAWA) Canada encourages Sudan’s neighbors to help that country mediate an end to the violence, as Ottawa attempts to continue to bring Canadians to safety through perilous ground evacuations.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Justin Trudeau spoke Monday morning with Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and thanked him for his country’s “outstanding support” in hosting Canadian military and diplomatic personnel.
Mr. Trudeau also praised Djibouti “for its clear willingness to participate in the resolution of the conflict”, according to the press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The firm also says the two men discussed regional mediation efforts and that Mr. Trudeau offered Canadian support for a peaceful resolution to the dispute.
During a visit to Kenya, a major player in this region of East Africa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, assessed the humanitarian needs in the region on Monday.
The Sudanese National Army and paramilitary forces, which have been fighting for two weeks, reached a new ceasefire on Sunday.
But the violence has not completely stopped, leading countries including Canada to abandon evacuation flights. They are now advising their nationals to seek safety there or undertake the risky journey by road to the Sudanese shores on the Red Sea.
Ottawa said Sunday morning 400 Canadians and permanent residents had left Sudan so far and the Canadian military had carried out six evacuation flights. On the other hand, 230 people who had asked for help from the Canadian government were still in this country.
