Canadian weapons are enabling Sudan’s ‘war against civilians

Quick Overview

Canadian weapons sales to the UAE are indirectly fueling the war in Sudan by allowing the UAE to support the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been credibly accused of committing massacres and atrocities in Darfur, as the Canadian government has failed to take accountability or halt weapon exports despite the ongoing conflict.

Key Points: The ongoing war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has escalated, with the RSF accused of widespread atrocities. Canadian weapons, including those manufactured by companies like Sterlin Cross, are being exported to the UAE, which then supplies the RSF, bypassing Canadian arms embargo regulations. Ismail Adam, representing the Darfur Association of Canada, stated that the conflict has displaced 2.5 million people and killed up to 400,000. Nisrin Elamin noted that the Sudanese resistance movement is operating through non-hierarchical, consensus-based collectives, contrasting with the military elites' actions. The Sudanese civil resistance is demanding justice and an end to the military elite's control, contrasting with the UAE's financial support for the RSF. The Canadian government's complicity is highlighted by the failure to close loopholes in arms export regulations that allow Canadian weapons to reach conflict zones like Sudan via third parties like the UAE. The Canadian government recently announced a $70 million trade agreement with the UAE, coinciding with the ongoing violence, which activists argue prioritizes trade over human rights concerns.

Context: This video features a discussion on 'The Breach Show' between host Desmond Cole, journalist and author, and guests Ismail Adam (President of the Darfur Association of Canada) and Nisrin Elamin (Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto and co-founder of the Sudan Solidarity Collective). The primary topic is the role of Canadian foreign policy, specifically arms sales, in exacerbating the conflict between the SAF and the RSF in Sudan, focusing on the atrocities committed by the RSF in Darfur.