Thank you very much. It is a great honour to be here. I came from Montreal.
I want to thank the chair. It's a real privilege.
I want to thank all of you who have shown concern for Sudan.
Today I'm speaking to you in my capacity not only as someone of Sudanese origin but also, most importantly, as an academic and researcher who has spent over 30 years researching, writing and teaching about the war in Sudan and the many wars in the country, and in Africa more generally. I have worked in policy as a researcher at the Brookings Institution and at the Woodrow Wilson school for scholars. I was also a homeland security fellow at Stanford University.
I'm giving you this résumé because I'm going to speak a little bit about the academic part of the war but also policy recommendations.
First, I want to briefly explain why the war matters to Canada and the world. Second, I want to emphasize the depth of the humanitarian crisis, because I know that some of my colleagues from Sudan were not able to be here. Third and finally, if I can do it quickly enough, I want to point to the nature of the war before outlining some policy recommendations that I believe would gain and generate bipartisan support in this body.
In terms of why the war in Sudan should matter, given the limited coverage, it's really important to understand that not only did it interrupt one of the most important and powerful experiments in the transition to democracy, which began in December 2018, but when the war began on April 15, 2023, it went on to threaten the entire region. We noted very early in the war that this would happen.
As many of you know but it's worth repeating, Sudan borders seven different countries. It's a crucial country with respect to the Sahel region. It's a crucial country with respect to the very turbulent politics of the Red Sea region. That becomes a really important aspect of why Canada, and of course now the United States and its allies, are all of a sudden finally focusing on Sudan. It's for these reasons.
Another very important reason, of course, is the humanitarian crisis itself. There is absolutely no question that Sudan is absolutely the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. It has been called a “failure of humanity”. Food insecurity and famine are affecting 60% of the population.
As a Sudanese, I can turn to you and say that no Sudanese family has not been affected. No home has not been destroyed. Obviously, the role of the war in Darfur in El Fasher is extremely important as well, but I was told by my colleagues in Sudan and elsewhere to emphasize what the war is about.
It's not a usual war. It's not a usual civil war. It's a war against the civilian population. That is very different from the kind of war we know from other contexts in Africa and elsewhere. It is really worth repeating that both sides, not only the Rapid Support Forces militia but also the Sudanese Armed Forces, have been executing, have been terrorizing and have been displacing 13 million people, now 14 million people, in just less than three years. That becomes a really important aspect of the humanitarian toll. El Fasher is so devastated not only because of the Rapid Support Forces but also from the drones that the Sudanese Armed Forces utilize. It's also, of course, because of the groups allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces in Darfur that represent a particular ethnic group, the Zaghawa.
Very quickly, rather than me explaining to you why Darfur and Sudan and El Fasher should matter, I contacted a friend of mine from Darfur and told him I was coming here. I asked him what he thought the Canadian government should do. His response was brief but crucial. Rather than have me pontificate in an academic sense, let me just read you what he said.
He said, “Hello Prof. Khalid. Good to hear from you. You know more than I do about the conflict. But [I] will jot down my/our Darfuri community thoughts about what is happening and the priorities. Canada is capable in the diploma[tic] efforts, if they can neutralize the [United Arab Emirates], this can stop the flow of arms, communication equipment, [logistics].” In addition to that, he said, Canada must play a role in the “access to unfettered humanitarian aid” and there must be a “call for [a] lasting ceasefire”. He said that civilian protection is a priority, “both in IDP camps and to those who fled to neighbouring countries like Chad”. As well, “lack of accountability”—here is another priority—“is the reason for the recurrence of violence specifically in Darfur”.
I just want to note for you that in the past 18 months, he lost 40 members of his immediate family. He reminds us that “since the genocide in [the] early 2000s, all perpetrators are still at large, committing the same crimes. Hold [accountable] both RSF for their crime and [the Sudanese Armed Forces] for their complicity 'the wishful blindness' since they [knew] this day [was] coming, yet [did] nothing” about it, and, in fact, left.
I know I don't have too much time, but I want to quickly mention something that I think is important for Canada.