Human Rights Group Urges Canada to Join U.S. in Sudan Genocide Declaration
A human rights organization is pushing Canada to declare genocide in Sudan, following U.S. actions against the Rapid Support Forces.
Sudan, Canada, Genocide, Human Rights, Darfur, U.S.
OTTAWA: A well-known human rights group is asking Canada to step up and declare that the actions of Sudan’s paramilitary forces are genocide. They want Canada to follow the U.S. lead on this issue.
The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights has been vocal about the situation in Darfur, claiming that the Rapid Support Forces have been targeting specific ethnic groups during the ongoing civil war.
Back in April, they released a report detailing how these forces have been using weapons supplied by the United Arab Emirates to carry out their attacks.
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the Rapid Support Forces are indeed committing genocide, specifically targeting civilians based on their ethnicity for murder and sexual violence.
The U.S. has already imposed sanctions on these forces and on companies in the UAE that are believed to be supplying them with arms.
As for Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly hasn’t made any comments yet about whether she agrees that genocide is happening in Sudan.
However, Canada did join a joint statement with the U.S. and four other nations, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the peace agreement that led to South Sudan’s independence.
This report was originally published by The Canadian Press on January 10, 2025.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press