{"id":333827,"date":"2025-12-06T10:24:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T15:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/?post_type=to4_article_post&#038;p=333827"},"modified":"2025-12-08T16:17:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T21:17:59","slug":"as-canadian-weapons-enter-sudan-activists-decry-canadas-deepening-uae-ties","status":"publish","type":"to4_article_post","link":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/as-canadian-weapons-enter-sudan-activists-decry-canadas-deepening-uae-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"As Canadian Weapons Enter Sudan, Activists Decry Canada&#8217;s Deepening UAE Ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"truth-post-content-before\" id=\"truth-2969549258\"><div class=\"popmake-campaign-banners-donate-modal callout callout inline-callout mb-5 callout--text callout--text\" id=\"truth-304042\" data-callout-id=\"304042\" data-callout-theme=\"text\" data-callout-placement=\"Undefined\" data-callout-title=\"BCB 304042 Truthout is a vital news source\"><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/support.truthout.org\/-\/XXQLBDSX\/&amp;utm_source=truthout&amp;utm_medium=bcb&amp;utm_campaign=304042\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">support us with a donation<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of any size.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pm.gc.ca\/en\/news\/news-releases\/2025\/11\/21\/prime-minister-carney-secures-new-agreements-united-arab-emirates\">hailed<\/a> a new economic deal with the United Arab Emirates as a way to &#8220;attract billions of dollars in investments into Canada.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The $50 billion agreement \u2014 $70-billion in Canadian dollars \u2014 was announced as Carney travelled to Abu Dhabi in November for talks with Emirati leaders, and comes as Canada attempts to diversify its economic partners as it contends with effects of U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s tariffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019re building big things, and the UAE wants to build with us,&#8221; the Canadian leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1367323728436984\">said<\/a> in a social media post about the pact.<\/p><div class=\"truth-post-content-high\" id=\"truth-2214150975\"><div class=\"callout inline-callout p-4 mb-5 callout--subscribe callout--dark\" id=\"truth-255397\" data-callout-id=\"255397\" data-callout-theme=\"dark\" data-callout-placement=\"Post Content - High\" data-callout-title=\"Get our free emails\"><h2>Get our free emails<\/h2>\n<script>\nvar gform;gform||(document.addEventListener(\"gform_main_scripts_loaded\",function(){gform.scriptsLoaded=!0}),document.addEventListener(\"gform\/theme\/scripts_loaded\",function(){gform.themeScriptsLoaded=!0}),window.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){gform.domLoaded=!0}),gform={domLoaded:!1,scriptsLoaded:!1,themeScriptsLoaded:!1,isFormEditor:()=>\"function\"==typeof 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\u2014 to make money,&#8221; said Mark Kersten, an assistant professor specializing in international law at University of the Fraser Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;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,&#8221; Kersten told <em>Truthout<\/em> in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crimes Against Humanity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Carney&#8217;s November trip to the UAE \u2014 the first by a Canadian prime minister since 1983 \u2014 came just weeks after the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of North Darfur&#8217;s capital, el-Fasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United Nations and the world&#8217;s leading human rights groups have accused RSF fighters of committing massacres against civilians in their takeover of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Displaced residents have said they saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2025\/11\/sudan-el-fasher-survivors-tell-of-deliberate-rsf-killings-and-sexual-violence-new-testimony\/\">dead bodies lining the streets<\/a> as they fled el-Fasher, and there have been multiple reports of widespread rape and sexual violence, kidnappings, and extortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\"><blockquote><p>Human rights advocates and legal experts have condemned the Canadian government for deepening ties to the UAE as it stands accused of fueling mass atrocities in Sudan.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers in the United States have said satellite imagery indicates the RSF is <a href=\"https:\/\/files-profile.medicine.yale.edu\/documents\/24ec5a80-6cd6-4145-addf-4ec88149a388\">digging mass graves<\/a> to bury bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the UAE vehemently denies backing the RSF, UN experts and human rights groups have said the country has provided military support to the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier this year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2025\/apr\/14\/leaked-un-experts-report-raises-fresh-concerns-over-uaes-role-in-sudan-war\">media outlets reported<\/a> on a leaked document written by a panel of UN experts that said cargo flights were routinely bringing weapons from the UAE to Chad. The arms were then smuggled across the border into Sudan for use by the RSF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The experts said &#8220;the cargo flights from airports in the UAE to Chad were so regular that, in effect, they had created a &#8216;new regional air bridge,'&#8221; <em>The Guardian<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>U.S. lawmakers also have acknowledged the UAE\u2019s role in fueling the war in Sudan, with Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/6df93f4b-a83c-89ac-0fac-9b586715afd8\/01%2015%2025%20Nominations%20--%20Rubio.pdf\">Marco Rubio saying<\/a> during his Senate confirmation hearing in January that the country was \u201copenly supporting an entity that is carrying out a genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Democratic Senator <a href=\"https:\/\/sarajacobs.house.gov\/news\/press-releases\/jacobs-van-hollen-confirm-uae-providing-weapons-to-rsf-in-sudan-in-contradiction-to-its-assurances-to-us\">Chris Van Hollen also recently urged<\/a> Washington to stop sending weapons to its Gulf ally amid the atrocities in el-Fasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn January of this year, the Biden administration confirmed to me directly that the UAE was providing material support to the RSF, even though the UAE had assured the United States that it wasn\u2019t and that it wouldn\u2019t,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanhollen.senate.gov\/news\/videos\/watch\/van-hollen-calls-up-bill-to-end-arms-sales-to-uae-until-they-cease-rsf-support-in-sudan-civil-war\">Van Hollen said<\/a> during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xzHSSTAffcY\">a Senate speech<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, in May, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2025\/05\/sudan-advanced-chinese-weaponry-provided-by-uae-identified-in-breach-of-arms-embargo-new-investigation\/\">Amnesty International said<\/a> &#8220;sophisticated Chinese weaponry&#8221; that was re-exported by the UAE was captured in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, as well as used in Darfur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe presence of recently manufactured Chinese bombs in North Darfur is a clear violation of the arms embargo by the UAE,&#8221; Brian Castner, Amnesty&#8217;s head of crisis research, said in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignleft\"><blockquote><p>In early November, Canadian public broadcaster <em>CBC News<\/em> verified photographs showing rifles manufactured by a Canada-based company in the hands of RSF fighters in Sudan.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The RSF has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of Sudan since April 2023, and was accused of committing crimes against humanity long before its takeover of el-Fasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That includes \u201cpersecution on ethnic grounds, forced displacement and contributing to extermination,\u201d according to a UN Human Rights Council <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/hrbodies\/hrcouncil\/ffm-sudan\/a-hrc-60-22-auv.pdf\">report<\/a> from September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, Canadian exports of military goods and technology to the UAE totalled just over $5 million ($7 million in Canadian dollars), according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.international.gc.ca\/transparency-transparence\/controls-controles\/military-goods-2024-marchandises-militaires.aspx?lang=eng\">government records<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet despite the relatively small sum, rights groups say any amount of weapons that could be funneled into the conflict in Sudan is too many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In early November, Canadian public broadcaster <em>CBC News<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/world\/sudan-rsf-massacres-canadian-rifles-sterling-cross-9.6969856\">verified photographs<\/a> showing rifles manufactured by a Canada-based company in the hands of RSF fighters in Sudan. <em>CBC News<\/em> said it was not immediately clear how the rifles ended up with the paramilitary group but noted that experts have detailed past diversions by the UAE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rights groups also have documented that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/research\/2024\/07\/new-weapons-fuelling-the-sudan-conflict\/\">armored vehicles<\/a> produced by the STREIT Group, a Canadian-owned company whose main manufacturing facility is in the UAE, have also been used by the RSF in the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company \u2014 one of the largest armored vehicle manufacturers in the world \u2014 has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet both cases are an apparent violation of a UN arms embargo on Sudan that was put in place more than two decades ago to try to prevent ethnic cleansing and other atrocities in Darfur. The RSF grew out of the Janjaweed, an Arab militia aligned with former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, which was a main target of that 2004 arms embargo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Canada\u2019s Obligations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the UN arms embargo, Canada is a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a pact that regulates and sets conditions for the global flow of arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ATT bans signatories from transferring weapons to another country if there is a plausible risk they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law, such as war crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asked to comment on reports that Canadian weapons are being used by the RSF in Sudan, Global Affairs Canada \u2014 the foreign affairs ministry \u2014 pointed to the UN arms embargo on the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis prohibits any person in Canada or any Canadian outside Canada from knowingly exporting arms and related material, wherever situated, to Sudan or to any person in Sudan,\u201d a spokesperson said in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\"><blockquote><p>The UN Genocide Convention imposes an obligation on signatories \u2014 such as Canada \u2014 to prevent genocide whenever a risk of such violence exists.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But the department did not comment on <em>Truthout<\/em>\u2019s specific questions on whether it is reviewing any Canadian companies whose weapons have been reported in the hands of RSF fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also did not answer questions about whether it plans to suspend any existing or future arms export permits to the UAE over its support for the RSF and concerns that weapons may be reaching the paramilitary group via the Gulf country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Global Affairs Canada said it has a \u201crobust risk assessment framework\u201d to evaluate weapons export or brokering permit applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCanada has made no exceptions to this legal requirement,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cIf these laws are violated, we will ensure those responsible face legal consequences that could include fines, seizure of goods and criminal prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Separately, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said late last month that she was \u201cvery seriously\u201d looking into the reports of Canadian weapons being used by the RSF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo Canadian companies are permitted to export arms to Sudan directly or through third countries,\u201d Anand told <em>The Globe and Mail<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Risk of Genocide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>But the legal experts who spoke to <em>Truthout<\/em> said reports about Canadian-made weapons ending up in Sudan go back years \u2014 and action is long overdue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;ve seen vehicles produced by STREIT appearing in places where they shouldn&#8217;t be for over a decade now, including in Sudan,\u201d said Kelsey Gallagher, a researcher at anti-war group Project Ploughshares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The STREIT Group did not respond to <em>Truthout<\/em>\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gallagher acknowledged that the armored vehicles reportedly used by the RSF in Sudan almost certainly were not manufactured in Canada. But he said STREIT Group nevertheless remains \u201ca company with a Canadian footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe fact that Canadian-made weapons systems are permeating what has been described as the world&#8217;s worst humanitarian crisis would contradict the notion that Canada has the strongest arms control regime in the world,\u201d Gallagher told <em>Truthout<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cClearly something has broken down here, something has gone wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canada must do more to strengthen its arms export regime, including putting more robust systems in place to oversee how Canadian weapons are ultimately being used, Gallagher said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This sentiment was echoed by Kersten at University of the Fraser Valley, who said that even if weapons are manufactured abroad, there are steps that the Canadian government can take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignleft\"><blockquote><p>\u201cThe evidence is that we&#8217;re talking about significant volumes of Canadian weapons fueled into contexts of genocide, both in Gaza and in Sudan.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCanada can still prosecute Canadian citizens if they encourage or provide material support for the commission of international crimes \u2014 war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UN Genocide Convention also imposes an obligation on signatories \u2014 such as Canada \u2014 to prevent genocide whenever a risk of such violence exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGiven the dynamics of the violence, it would be implausible to argue that there is no <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2025\/11\/1166300\">risk of genocide<\/a> in Darfur,\u201d Kersten said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a result, Canada is under an obligation to act to prevent [genocide] and one, very obvious way to achieve that is to stop any weapons from being sold in [Canada] or by Canadians to entities like the RSF.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cDoesn\u2019t Take This Seriously<\/strong>\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Michael Bueckert, vice president of advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, is not optimistic that Canada will take real action, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, Bueckert said Carney and his government have signaled that they are prioritizing \u201ccorporate profits over human rights\u201d around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The prime minister \u2014 who took office after winning elections in April \u2014 has sought to grow trade relationships with a range of countries amid fraught U.S.-Canada ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That includes India, which just last year was accused by Carney\u2019s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, of being involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh activist on Canadian soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Canadian government has also been <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/report-slams-canadas-systematic-deception-over-weapons-transfers-to-israel\/\">accused of misleading the public<\/a> by allowing weapons to be sent to Israel amid the country\u2019s genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, despite a promise to halt such transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe evidence is that we&#8217;re talking about significant volumes of Canadian weapons fueled into contexts of genocide, both in Gaza and in Sudan,\u201d Bueckert told <em>Truthout<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are things that Canada should be doing \u2014 that it can do \u2014 to make sure that it acts on this risk\u201d of Canadian-made weapons reaching Sudan, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut so far, we&#8217;ve seen the smallest amount of lip service that the Canadian government can get away with and no real indication that they&#8217;re going to be taking action,\u201d Bueckert said. \u201cClearly, Canada wants to put a lot of emphasis on a strategic economic partnership with the UAE and that&#8217;s the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"truth-post-content-after\" id=\"truth-2125660931\"><div class=\"callout inline-callout p-4 mb-5 callout-- callout--white\" id=\"truth-334871\" data-callout-id=\"334871\" data-callout-theme=\"white\" data-callout-placement=\"Post Content - After\" data-callout-title=\"2026-01 Main Campaign (FRU) Trump is silencing political dissent. We appeal for your support.\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-start\">\n<h5 class=\"pb-2\" style=\"text-transform: uppercase; font-family: var(--bs-font-sans-serif); text-align: center;\">Trump is silencing political dissent. We appeal for your support.<\/h5>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Progressive nonprofits are the latest target caught in Trump\u2019s crosshairs. With the aim of eliminating political opposition, Trump and his sycophants are working to curb government funding, constrain private foundations, and even cut tax-exempt status from organizations he dislikes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>We\u2019re concerned, because Truthout is not immune to such bad-faith attacks.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can only resist Trump\u2019s attacks by cultivating a strong base of support. The right-wing mediasphere is funded comfortably by billionaire owners and venture capitalist philanthropists. At Truthout, we have you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Truthout has launched a fundraiser to raise $45,000 in the next 8 days. <\/strong>Please take a meaningful action in the fight against authoritarianism: make a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout. If you have the means, please dig deep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"m-0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"#XEGQPXGY\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re talking about significant volumes of Canadian weapons fueled into contexts of genocide,&#8221; a rights activist said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":333846,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[91698],"tags":[864,229702,1339,52942,2171],"section":[44],"primary_topic":[35],"series":[],"admin_tag":[],"class_list":["post-333827","to4_article_post","type-to4_article_post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-canada","tag-mark-carney","tag-sudan","tag-uae","tag-weapons","section-politics-and-elections","primary_topic-politics"],"acf":[],"related_articles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/to4_article_post\/333827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/to4_article_post"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/to4_article_post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333827"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=333827"},{"taxonomy":"primary_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/primary_topic?post=333827"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=333827"},{"taxonomy":"admin_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthout.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/admin_tag?post=333827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}