Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the committee members for this opportunity to discuss the situation in Sudan.
While the conflict there may seem very far away from Canada, it has important ramifications for Canadian interests in the world. The scale of human suffering, the significant human rights abuses and the potential for broader destabilization in the region make this conflict an important issue for Canadian engagement.
I would like to begin by reminding committee members of the sources of the conflict that is wreaking havoc in Sudan.
Following a military coup in 1989, Omar al‑Bashir seized power. During his 30-year reign, his regime concentrated the vast majority of investment and development efforts in the capital region, to the detriment of the outlying areas.
This has caused grievances among the population living in regions far from Khartoum. Long-standing subnational conflicts in the south led to the separation of South Sudan. At the same time, a conflict erupted in the early 2000s in Darfur that had a significant impact on the civilian population. The situation prompted the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for crimes against humanity and genocide for Omar al‑Bashir.
In 2019, Sudanese men and women demonstrated against the ruling regime and demanded that a civilian-led democratic government be formed. The protests brought about the fall of President Omar al‑Bashir's regime. At the time of the revolution, Sudan was a very poor and fragile country that had suffered from underdevelopment and economic mismanagement for decades. Nevertheless, the international community, including Canada, supported a transition to democracy. Unfortunately, in October 2021, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group, joined forces to illegally overthrow Sudan's civilian transitional government.
After the overthrow, the international community's efforts focused on setting up negotiations between civilian players, political parties, the SAF and the RSF. These efforts gave rise to several months of negotiations between stakeholders to re-establish civilian rule. One of the most controversial issues was the integration of the RSF into the SAF to form a united national army.
Despite these initiatives, negotiations failed to restore civilian, democratic governance after a military confrontation between the SAF and the RSF began on April 15, 2023. It is not yet clear who started the conflict, but fighting in the capital rapidly intensified and spread to other parts of the country. The conflict began 18 months ago. Over time, the situation has become more complex due to the high number of Sudanese and regional players seeking to protect their interests.
Let me now address the current conditions in Sudan.
Efforts at mediation continue but have not yielded results. Fighting continues across Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces, the SAF, and the Rapid Support Forces, the RSF, without any signs of abating.
At the outbreak of the conflict, the SAF quickly relocated government and military operations to Port Sudan on the Red Sea in the eastern part of the country. They maintain control in this region along with the north.
The RSF have consolidated control over most of the Darfur region and earlier this year began pushing south and east toward SAF territory. The RSF still controls much of the capital city and its surrounding areas, although the SAF have recently reclaimed some parts.
As a result, the conditions for civilians in Sudan are among the most dire found in any current conflict. Overall, in Sudan, a country with an estimated population of 48.1 million, over 8.3 million people are internally displaced and more than 2.1 million have fled to neighbouring countries. This makes Sudan the world's largest displacement crisis.
Recent UNICEF estimates also suggest that 17 million children are not in school.
In August, it was confirmed that famine was present in North Darfur, including in the Zamzam camp for internally displaced people south of the capital, El Fasher. The camp is currently hosting at least 500,000 people who have been displaced from other parts of the country.
Sudan is facing the worst levels of food insecurity in its history, with more than half of its population, 26.5 million people, suffering from acute hunger.
Credible reports, including from the UN, have documented widespread violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict, including indiscriminate attacks against civilians, ethnically motivated violence and conflict-related sexual violence.
I will now provide an overview of Canada's response to the crisis.
Canada continues to work with its partners in a number of areas. First, Canada provides humanitarian and development assistance that meets the needs of the people affected by the conflict. Since January 2024, Canada has provided over $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighbouring countries.
In addition, Canada has provided $31.5 million in development assistance to Sudan and neighbouring countries for projects aimed at addressing sexual and gender-based violence, as well as for education in emergency situations.
Second, Canada has maintained a high level of diplomatic engagement on the crisis at different levels and through different fora. For example, Canadian ministers regularly raise the conflict in Sudan in bilateral engagements and with countries in the region as well as in multilateral fora such as at the UN and the G7.
Further, Canada actively engages on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council, for example, co-sponsoring the resolution in 2023 that created the independent, international fact-finding mission for Sudan, which is mandated to document violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in the interest of pursuing possible measures for accountability and ending impunity.
With the temporary suspension of operations of Canada's embassy to Sudan in Khartoum last April, Canada has shifted its engagement on Sudan to our diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This includes deploying new personnel dedicated to Sudan last month.
Third, Minister Joly announced new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act in April to address the conflict. Canada has imposed sanctions on six individuals and entities for their direct or indirect involvement in activities undermining peace, security and stability in Sudan, as well as for human rights violations.
Canada continues to closely monitor the situation in Sudan to identify more targets for future action, if required.
Finally, Canada is working actively to support the foundations of any future peace to be inclusive and democratic. Canada recognizes that there can be no durable peace without the meaningful inclusion of civilians, including women and youth, in mediation efforts.
Canada is also supporting Sudanese civilians and civil society organizations to engage in political dialogue efforts, to mitigate the effects of conflicts on civilians at a local level and to protect human rights defenders and women peace builders.
Further, Canada's ambassador for women, peace and security, Jacqueline O'Neill, who is with us today, was in Geneva in August to support U.S.-led efforts to include Sudanese women in the current ceasefire talks.
In conclusion, the situation in Sudan is unlikely to improve in the short term. The longer the fighting lasts, the greater likelihood of increased engagement by other armed groups and by regional players. This is likely to further entrench the conflict and worsen the humanitarian crisis.
As I said, Canada continues to monitor the situation closely.
We continue to find openings for Canada to carry out its actions and use the tools available to mitigate the impact of the conflict on civilians and encourage a path toward peace and stability.
Thank you for your attention.
