Canadian Arms Fueling atrocities in Sudan, Despite New UAE Trade Deal
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A growing body of evidence suggests Canadian-made weapons are reaching a Sudanese paramilitary group accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, even as Prime Minister Mark Carney pursues a $50 billion economic partnership with teh United Arab Emirates.
The pursuit of lucrative trade deals with the UAE is raising serious ethical concerns, as reports emerge of Canadian weaponry being used in the ongoing conflict in sudan. “We’re talking about significant volumes of Canadian weapons fueled into contexts of genocide,” a rights activist stated.
Carney’s visit to Abu Dhabi in November – the first by a Canadian prime minister as 1983 – coincided with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seizing control of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The $50 billion agreement, intended to attract investment into Canada and diversify its economic partners amid U.S. trade tensions, is now under scrutiny from human rights advocates and legal experts. “We’re building big things, and the UAE wants to build with us,” Carney proclaimed on social media.
Though, critics argue that the economic benefits are being prioritized over essential principles of international law and human rights. “Carney is selling out our principles – including Canada’s commitment to the basic rules of international law and to human rights – to make money,” said Mark Kersten,an assistant professor specializing in international law at University of the Fraser Valley.”With troubling success, the prime minister is showing that the chance of economic prosperity in Canada and diversifying trade partners comes at the cost of caring for the very lives of others,” Kersten explained.
Crimes Against Humanity in Darfur
The RSF has been accused by the united Nations and leading human rights groups of committing massacres against civilians in el-Fasher, with reports of widespread rape, sexual violence, kidnappings, and extortion. Satellite imagery analyzed by researchers in the United states reportedly indicates the RSF is digging mass graves. While the UAE denies supporting the RSF, UN experts and human rights organizations allege the country has been providing military support.
A leaked UN experts’ document revealed a “new regional air bridge” of cargo flights routinely transporting weapons from the UAE to Chad, from where they are smuggled into Sudan for use by the RSF, according to The Guardian. U.S. lawmakers have echoed these concerns, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating during his Senate confirmation hearing in January that the UAE was “openly supporting an entity that is carrying out a genocide.” Senator Chris Van Hollen recently urged the U.S. to halt weapons shipments to the UAE due to its role in the atrocities in el-Fasher, revealing that the Biden management confirmed the UAE was providing material support to the RSF despite assurances to the contrary.
Further complicating the situation, Amnesty International reported in May the capture of “refined Chinese weaponry” re-exported by the UAE in Khartoum and Darfur. “The presence of recently manufactured Chinese bombs in North Darfur is a clear violation of the arms embargo by the UAE,” stated Brian castner, Amnesty’s head of crisis research. “Our documentation of AH-4 howitzers in Khartoum further strengthens a growing body of evidence showing extensive UAE support to the RSF, in violation of international law.”
The RSF, which originated from the Janjaweed Arab militia, has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of Sudan sence April 2023 and has faced accusations of crimes against humanity, including persecution, forced displacement, and contributing to extermination, according to a UN Human Rights Council report from September.
Canadian Exports and Legal Obligations
In 2024, Canadian exports of military goods and technology to the UAE totaled just over $5 million ($7 million in Canadian dollars). Despite the relatively small sum, rights groups maintain that any amount of weaponry possibly diverted to the conflict in Sudan is unacceptable.
CBC News verified photographs in early November showing rifles manufactured by a Canada-based company in the hands of RSF fighters.While the exact route of these weapons remains unclear,experts have pointed to past diversions facilitated by the UAE. Additionally, armored vehicles produced by the STREIT Group, a Canadian-owned company with its main manufacturing facility in the UAE, have been documented in use by the RSF. The company has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
These instances represent a potential violation of the UN arms embargo on Sudan, established in 2004 to prevent ethnic cleansing and atrocities in Darfur. Canada, as a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), is legally obligated to prevent the transfer of weapons if there is a plausible risk they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law.
Global Affairs Canada acknowledged the UN arms embargo, stating it prohibits the export of arms to Sudan. However,the department declined to comment on whether it is reviewing Canadian companies linked to the RSF or considering suspending arms export permits to the UAE. A spokesperson affirmed Canada’s “robust risk assessment framework” and commitment to legal consequences for violations. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated she was “very seriously” looking into the reports of Canadian weapons being used by the RSF, adding that “No Canadian companies are permitted to export arms to Sudan directly or through third countries.”
The Risk of Genocide and Canada’s Response
Legal experts argue that reports of Canadian-made weapons reaching Sudan have persisted for years, demanding immediate action. “We’ve seen vehicles produced by STREIT appearing in places where they shouldn’t be for over a decade now, including in Sudan,” said Kelsey Gallagher, a researcher at Project Ploughshares.while the armored vehicles are not manufactured in Canada, Gallagher emphasized that STREIT Group remains “a company with a Canadian footprint.”
“The fact that Canadian-made weapons systems are permeating what has been described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis would contradict the notion that Canada has the strongest arms control regime in the world,” Gallagher asserted. “Clearly somthing has broken down here, something has gone wrong.” He called for stronger oversight of Canadian arms exports and improved tracking of their ultimate use.
Kersten at University of the Fraser Valley added that Canada could prosecute citizens who provide material support for international crimes, including genocide. He argued that, given the violence in Darfur, the risk of genocide is undeniable, obligating Canada to act, including halting arms sales to entities like the RSF.
michael Bueckert,vice president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East,expressed pessimism about Canada’s response,stating that the government appears to prioritize “corporate profits over human rights.” He pointed to Canada’s continued trade with India, despite accusations of its involvement in the killing of a canadian Sikh activist, and alleged misleading of the public regarding arms shipments to Israel.
“The evidence is that we’re talking about significant volumes of Canadian weapons fueled into contexts of genocide, both in Gaza and in Sudan,” Bueckert said. “There are things that Canada should be doing – that it can do – to make sure that it acts on this risk” of Canadian-made weapons reaching Sudan, he added. “But so far, we’ve seen the smallest amount of lip service that the Canadian government can get away with and no real indication that they’re going to be taking action,” Bueckert concluded. “Clearly,Canada wants to put a lot of emphasis on a strategic economic partnership with the UAE and that’s the most crucial thing.”
