Canada has announced sanctions against those it blames for perpetuating Sudan’s devastating war, as the conflict enters its second year.
Other Western governments took similar steps many months ago, with the United States and Britain announcing Sudan-related sanctions as early as mid-2023. It is unclear why Canada waited so long to announce its own sanctions.
The Canadian sanctions are being imposed on individuals and companies that have links to the two warring parties: the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Those sanctioned include RSF deputy commander Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo as well as former foreign minister Ali Karti, who leads an Islamist group.
Ottawa has also sanctioned four companies it accuses of emboldening both the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The two warring parties were jockeying for control for months until a political feud broke out into civil war last April, causing what the United Nations calls the world’s largest internal displacement crisis.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced the sanctions in a news release on Monday, which says those targeted are “directly or indirectly undermining peace, security and stability in Sudan.”
The war in Sudan that began a year ago between the country’s military, chaired by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo marked one year today.
The conflict has killed thousands and forced eight million people to flee their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or to neighbouring countries, according to United Nations figures.
But the precarious conditions and lack of aid is pushing Sudan to the edge of famine.