Canadian leadership can ease Sudan’s devastating humanitarian crisis

Canadians have been asked by Prime Minister Mark Carney to accept “the world as it is, not wait for a world we wish to be,” if we are to navigate the chaos and uncertainty that has washed over the globe.

The world as it is for civilians in Sudan includes severe malnutrition, displacement, and near-daily violence impacting families, women, and children. Now in its fourth year, the Sudan civil war remains a violent and devastating humanitarian disaster, yet competing global conflicts continue to push it to the back burner for those not directly impacted.

As we mark World Humanitarian Day, we need to recognize the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sudan and the extraordinary risks faced by those working to provide lifesaving assistance. Additionally, upwards of 14 million people have been displaced by the civil war—over one-quarter of Canada’s entire population. More than 4.4 million of those people displaced have fled to neighbouring countries to escape the violence.

The humanitarian crisis resulting from the conflict has been marked by hundreds of thousands of deaths, widespread food insecurity, and allegations of ethnic cleansing, torture, and rape. Attacks on hospitals, schools, and weddings have resulted in too many deaths and injuries. This violence has forced approximately 90 per cent of Sudanese students out of the classroom, leaving over 15 million children without access to education. There is nowhere to hide.

It's not just civilians going about their daily lives who are dying. Humanitarian workers, including from the Sudanese Red Crescent and the UN’s World Food Program and UNICEF, are far too often among the casualties. This has forced further restrictions on aid services and food relief making the crisis for the most vulnerable even worse. Today, more than four million children face high levels of malnutrition with hundreds of thousands suffering from severe acute malnutrition in areas where access is restricted.

With this scale of never-ending human suffering, Canadians should be shocked and angry to learn about reports that weapons made here have found their way to the Sudan conflict that has delivered so much tragedy to civilians and those trying to assist them.

How these weapons reached the conflict is unclear. What is clear is the significant risk they pose to civilians on the ground.

As a State Party to the Arms Trade Treaty, which Canada acceded to in 2019, Ottawa agreed to prevent the export of arms where they would or could be used in violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law and where mitigation measures would be insufficient to curb said risk. The foreign affairs minister has wide latitude to probe arms export permits and take action to address the diversion of these goods, including in the case of potential illicit retransfer to actors who were not the authorized end user.

The widespread devastation in Sudan demands more action and leadership from Canada. There are steps that could be taken to demonstrate this leadership. For example, a special envoy for Sudan could be appointed to further Canada’s leadership in compliance with international law. This includes cases where this country's exports will or can be used to violate international humanitarian and human rights law. This envoy would have direct, on-the-ground understanding of and experience in Sudan, its history and the humanitarian impact of the war, and the freedom to transparently report their findings.

We have the tools to prevent Canadian-made weapons from being unlawfully acquired by conflict parties in Sudan, and the tools to prevent other actors from acquiring said weapons who may use them unlawfully.

When he said Canada must take the world as it is, Carney was urging pragmatism to guide our international leadership roles. A clear-eyed view of the world should sharpen our sense of responsibility to protect those who are made most vulnerable by violence and take political ownership for upholding international humanitarian law.

The world as it is includes rules and treaties upholding humanitarian values that Canada has committed to respecting and enforcing. The world as it is should include Sudanese, regional and international impartial humanitarian actors bringing assistance to those in need without fear of death. The world as it is should include Canada pushing back on the normalization of such violence and dehumanization of civilian populations in all of its actions.

Allison Alley is the president and CEO of World Vision Canada, and Conrad Sauvé is the president and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. With assistance from Paul Heidebrecht, the director of Project Ploughshares.

The Hill Times