Montreal, October 30, 2025 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is urging Canada to halt the export of military goods to the United Arab Emirates amid concerns that it may be diverting Canadian weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries in Sudan. The UAE, a destination for millions of dollars in Canadian weapons, is known to be illicitly arming the RSF which is accused of genocide. Moreover, Canadian weapons linked to the UAE have been discovered to be used by the RSF, specifically in El Fasher, where the group recently massacred over 2,000 people. CJPME urges an immediate suspension of military exports to the UAE and an investigation into whether Canadian weapons are fueling genocide in Sudan.

“Canada continues to sell arms to the UAE despite its clear role as a facilitator of genocide in Sudan,” said Michael Bueckert, Acting President of CJPME. “The discovery of Canadian armoured vehicles in the hands of the RSF in El Fasher, only months before the latest massacre, should raise alarm bells for this government and prompt immediate action. Canada must stop the flow of weapons to the UAE, including via the United States,” added Bueckert.

UN experts have repeatedly warned that they believe the UAE is smuggling weapons to RSF via neighbouring countries, finding accusations of UAE military support for the RSF to be credible. More recently, the UAE is believed to be increasing its supply of weapons to the RSF, including drone technology. Moreover, it has recently been revealed that some of the weapons transferred to the RSF by the UAE were manufactured in the United Kingdom - raising the possibility that the UAE may also be smuggling military goods from other countries, such as Canada.

Canada exported $7M CAD in weapons to the UAE last year, including in the category related to military aircraft. This past August, the Globe and Mail reported that armoured vehicles produced by Canada’s Streit Group were found in the hands of the RSF during the siege of El Fasher. The Streit Group’s main factory is located in the UAE, and it has a history of illicitly selling weapons to Sudan and other countries sanctioned by Canada.

The diversion of Canadian exports is prohibited under Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act. In 2020 Canada imposed an embargo on military exports to Türkiye in order to investigate the diversion of military drone technology to Azerbaijan. Regrettably, Canada lifted these restrictions in 2024 despite the continued risk, prioritizing political aims over human rights concerns.

CJPME is also concerned that weapons may be reaching the UAE (and ultimately Sudan) via the US Loophole, in which military goods are exported to the United States unregulated and unreported, before being sent further to the UAE. Earlier this year the US announced more than $200B USD in arms deals with the UAE. CJPME urges Parliament to address this problem by adopting Bill C-233, the No More Loopholes Act, which would ensure that all military trade via the US would be subject to appropriate oversight.

CJPME urges the Canadian government to suspend all arms exports to the UAE and investigate the diversion of Canadian weapons to the RSF; close the US loophole to ensure that military goods are not being transferred to the UAE unregulated and unreported via the United States; and investigate the Streit Group for allegedly circumventing Canadian sanctions on Sudan.