OTTAWA — A prominent human rights group is calling on Ottawa to follow the U.S. and declare that recent actions by Sudan's paramilitary force amount to genocide.
The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights accused the Rapid Support Forces of carrying out a genocide in the Darfur region months ago, during Sudan's brutal civil war.
In April, the advocacy group released a detailed report arguing that Sudan's paramilitary force had been targeting ethnic groups while using arms from the United Arab Emirates.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the Rapid Support Forces is committing genocide by singling out civilians for murder and rape according to their ethnicity.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the group and on companies in the United Arab Emirates accused of providing arms to the group.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has yet to comment on whether Sudan is committing genocide.
Canada did sign a joint statement with the U.S. and four other countries, issued today, marking the 20th anniversary of the peace agreement that ultimately led to the secession of South Sudan, now an independent country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2025.
Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
