No easy escape options for Alberta man stuck with hundreds more Canadians in Sudan
CBC
Tim Sanborn, of Cochrane, Alta., is one of hundreds of Canadians currently trapped in Sudan, where fighting between the country's top two generals has raged for nearly a week, making flights out of the country impossible.
In a hotel in Khartoum, the capital, Sanborn says he's on high alert. "A bullet went through the glass in the front foyer this morning," he told CBC on Thursday. "Nobody was hit, but, you know, but it's just a reminder of where you are."
According to the World Health Organization, the death toll from the conflict has risen to 330, with around 3,200 people wounded.
Sandborn, a father of two, traveled to Africa's third-largest country for his employer, which builds agricultural machinery and exports it across the globe.
When the conflict started Saturday, he was in a hotel near the city's international airport, which has been the target of heavy shelling. Satellite images show destroyed planes littering the tarmac.
On Wednesday morning, the company for which his employer is working transported him to another hotel in Khartoum that's housing other Canadians. Sanborn says his previous hotel was running out of supplies, such as water and diesel to run the generator.
While Sanborn says he feels safer around fellow Canadians, he's "not completely satisfied" with what he's heard from Ottawa.
So far, the government has advised Canadians in the country to shelter in place. Sanborn said that people from other countries appear to be more informed and connected to their fellow countrymen inside Sudan.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told CBC News on Thursday that evacuating citizens and diplomatic staff from Khartoum is not an option currently due to security risks and fighting near the airport.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said roughly 1,500 Canadians have notified the government that they are in Sudan, adding that that figure is likely lower than the actual number.
In a statement, GAC said its embassy in Sudan is currently closed to the public and it's looking at all options to support staff on the ground.
Conservative MP Blake Richards, who represents the Cochrane area, said he's concerned about Sanborn's situation.
Sanborn has private evacuation insurance through his employer. He said there's talk of escaping by land with a private company. However, that's currently not his preferred option for escape.
"The most desirable option is to fly out on a government flag plane that's a humanitarian effort, not some kind of clandestine night move," he said.
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