Since the defeat of the revolution that saw the 2019 overthrow of Sudan’s dictator Omar al-Bashir, the two main armed forces in Sudan have engaged in all out counterrevolutionary war. This is not a war that engages the Sudanese people in taking up sides; rather, ordinary Sudanese are the victims of two externally-backed militaries, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Millions have been displaced and killed, creating the world’s largest current humanitarian disaster.
Most recently, the mainstream media has paid more attention to this crisis, specifically the genocide taking place in Darfur by the RSF, which has now assumed control of the major cities in the region, following its rout of the SAF. Over 100,000 innocent people in El Fasher are now facing ethnic cleansing, hunger and loss of shelter and medical aid. Sexual violence is also being widely used as a weapon of war.
There are a number of layers of external support for the warring factions but the one that has become most newsworthy is the military support of the RSF by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in exchange for gold. This has been going on for years and is one of several impediments to establishing true democracy in Sudan.
Canadian arms manufacturers are profiting from sales to the UAE, and some of those weapons are then used in Sudan against the people. According to a CBC report, UAE is the main conduit for rifles made by BC-based Sterling Cross Defense Systems.
Yet on November 21, while paying lip service to furthering human rights in Sudan, Carney met with UAE officials to further increase trade ties between Canada and the UAE. According to CBC reporting, Carney stated, “We welcome UAE investors to visit Canada — I will personally host them — to explore investment in Canada’s transformative projects.” To that end, Carney’s office said Friday that the UAE had agreed to invest $70 billion in Canada.
Response in Parliament
NDP Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan has introduced a private members bill, Bill C-233, An Act to Amend the Export and Import Permits Act, or the “No More Loopholes Act”. This Act would close the loophole that allows Canadian military manufacturers to export their products to the US where they are then shipped for use in the genocides in Gaza and Sudan. As Kwan stated when introducing the Bill, “When Canada signed on to the Arms Trade Treaty in 2019, the government exempted all exports to the United States from scrutiny. This loophole has become a back door for Canadian weapons, components and technologies to fuel some of the bloodiest conflicts on earth.”
