Ottawa has directed a senior Canadian diplomat from Sudan to leave Khartoum after Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier's protest failed to convince his Sudanese counterpart to revoke an expulsion order.
Earlier this month, the Sudanese government announced that it would be expelling Canadian and European Union envoys from the country for "meddling in its affairs."
Nuala Lawlor, Canada's charge d'affaires in Sudan; and the EU's diplomat Kent Degerfelt were asked to leave.
At the time, the Sudanese government asserted that the expulsion order should not hinder relations between Sudan and the EU or Canada.
, Bernier said he spoke to Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol in protest of Lawlor's expulsion and conveyed "Canada's strong concern about Sudan's decision to expel Canada's charge d'affaires."
But Bernier's efforts were to no avail, he said.
As a result, he has ordered Lawlor to leave the country.
"Canada condemns the Government of Sudan's decision to expel the charg锟� d'affaires as this expulsion is entirely unjustified, and there is no question of Canada issuing an apology," Bernier said.
No specific details have been given by the Sudanese government as to why Lawlor and Degerfelt were ordered to leave.
But there have been reports that Lawlor and Degerfelt wrote a letter to the National Intelligence and Security Service seeking the release of opposition politicians who had been imprisoned over an alleged coup attempt.
Sudan has accused the envoys of interfering in its domestic affairs and failing to go through the presidency or foreign ministry before expressing their concerns over the human rights situation in the country.
But Bernier dismissed those suggestions, saying Lawlor "was acting in the finest traditions of Canadian diplomacy and was standing up for our values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Sudan."
Degerfelt has been permitted to remain in Sudan until his term expires in about three weeks.
Sudan's turbulent Darfur region has been the focus of international concern since 2003, when ethnic African rebels began fighting against the country's Arab-dominated central government.
The government is accused of retaliating with the brutal janjaweed militias, blamed for terrible atrocities against Darfur's rebels.
The conflict has displaced more than 2.5 million people and more than 200,000 have died.
