Ottawa/IBNS: Evacuation flights out of crisis-hit Sudan would no longer be offered by Canada’s federal government due to Sudan’s deteriorating security situation.

Other commercial options through Port Sudan along the Red Sea are available for Canadians who want to leave Sudan, the federal government said in an updated travel notice issued Saturday night.

Canadians have been urged to avoid travelling to the Wadi Seidna Air Base, north of the capital, Khartoum, where countries including Canada have organized flights for their citizens and others, says the latest travel advisory of the federal government on Sudan.

This decision followed the federal officials’ confirmation of more than 375 Canadians flown out of Sudan on national and allied aircraft as of Friday, with at least one evacuation flight having taken place Saturday.

As of Friday, as many as 300 Canadians in Sudan were still seeking assistance.

During a virtual press conference on Saturday, Canada’s Defence Minister Anita Anand said that flights would continue for as long as possible with a warning that, “The window for opportunity at the airfield is closing.”

As many as 200 members to the region had been deployed by the Canadian Armed Forces, while HMCS Montreal and MV Asterix, a frigate and Naval Replenishment Unit Motor Vessel bound for the Indo-Pacific region, had been re-tasked with staying near Port Sudan.

In the meantime to learn more about what Canada can do to respond to the situation in Sudan, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has travelled to Kenya, where the Canadian embassy in Khartoum has since relocated.

Sudanese nationals in Canada, as of Sunday, can apply for free to extend their stay or change their status as a visitor, student or temporary worker.

A temporary halt on removals to Sudan has also been issued by the Canada Border Services Agency subject to some exceptions.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)