Nearly 60 Canadians have been evacuated from Sudan thanks to a German plane, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday, quickly addressing the issue of about 1,600 Canadians stranded in the internal war-torn country.

• Also read: Canada is closing its embassy in Sudan

• Also read: Several countries are evacuating their nationals from Sudan

Mr. Trudeau said on the sidelines of a meeting with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Ottawa that he had just learned that a German plane with 58 Canadians on board had just taken off from the capital Khartoum.

A Canadian C-17 military cargo plane has also arrived in the region and is scheduled to operate a transport flight, the prime minister added.

This revelation comes the day after the announcement of the closure of Canada’s embassy in Sudan, a decision also made by several Western countries.

At the same time, Ottawa announced on Monday that Sudanese present in Canada whose visas are about to expire “can apply for the extension of their status in Canada free of charge and change their temporary category so that they can continue studying and working and be with their families.”

“Canada will also waive passport and permanent resident travel document fees for Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Sudan who wish to leave the country,” added Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Since mid-April, Sudan has been ravaged by a conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces that has left at least 420 dead and 3,700 injured, according to the World Health Organization.

However, the two camps agreed on Monday to observe a three-day ceasefire, announced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.