Canada has airlifted Canadians and citizens from other countries out of Khartoum, Sudan in two flights Thursday.

The first one carried 45 with 73 on the second; well below their capacity of 100 passengers.

They were taken to the nearby country of Djibouti and then transported by charter flights to Nairobi.

These were Canada’s first evacuation flights out of Sudan’s that’s erupted into chaos amid fighting between the army and a paramilitary force.

A ceasefire has brought some calm though fighting continues.

Ottawa has said it’ll only take Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family to a third country, from which evacuees must find their own way home.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs says if Canadians cannot afford to pay upfront for flights from third countries, Ottawa will check to see if they qualify for an emergency loan.

Approximately 200 Canadians have already left the African nation on flights from other countries, including Germany, the U.K. and U.S.