The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan carried out a brutal massacre at a hospital in October as part of their assault on el-Fasher, a city in Northern Darfur that was considered a key stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Shortly after, following a global pressure campaign on RSF ally and weapons provider the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the RSF proposed a humanitarian pause and a temporary halt to hostilities. The SAF said it wouldn’t agree to a deal which recognizes the RSF as an equal, and the SAF carried out counterattacks.
Since 2023, the counterrevolutionary war in Sudan — which broke out between rival military factions in the wake of a popular uprising that ousted longtime President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 — has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced over 12 million, according to the World Health Organization.
On Nov. 7, a CBC News investigation determined that weapons bearing the logo of a Canadian arms manufacturer have been used by RSF fighters throughout Sudan since at least 2023.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit the UAE and South Africa between Nov. 18 to 24 to meet with leaders on energy, agriculture, infrastructure and AI, but has not indicated that he will raise the issue of the UAE’s support of the RSF.
This article appeared in the 2025 Dec – 2026 Jan issue.
