The Communist Party of Canada condemns the violence and murders by elements of the Sudanese military against peaceful protesters in Sudan, and we call upon the federal government to take concrete action against Saudi Arabia and other supporters of Sudan’s military regime.
Over 100 people have been killed in the latest attacks in Khartoum, which began on June 3 when the Rapid Support Forces linked to the Sudanese Transitional Military Council brutally cleared protestors from the area around the Sudanese Armed Forces headquarters. Many other civilians have been wounded or raped as the military seeks to completely crush the popular uprising which had already succeeded in ousting the country’s former long-time dictator.
In these circumstances, the stance of the Trudeau Liberal government is utterly hypocritical. While the Canadian government has called the violence “unacceptable and a blatant attack on the basic rights of the Sudanese people,” Canada continues to maintain close ties with the dictatorial monarchy of Saudi Arabia, which is a key supplier of military, diplomatic and material support for the anti-popular regimes of the Middle East and North Africa.
Despite the strong protests of anti-war and human rights groups, Canada even continues to sell armoured military vehicles – essentially tanks upon which weapons are later mounted – to the Saudi regime. The rhetoric that “Canada is prepared to do whatever it can to support a civilian-led transition to a democratically elected government in Sudan” rings completely hollow, particularly in light of Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland’s leading role in promoting US-backed “regime change” in Venezuela and other countries. We demand an immediate halt to Canada’s arms sales and other economic links with the Saudis.
The Communist Party of Canada also extends our full solidarity to the courageous democratic forces in Sudan, including the Freedom and Change Coalition, the Sudanese Professionals Association, and the Sudanese Communist Party. We demand that the Sudanese military immediately end its violence against the people, and transfer power to a civilian transitional government led by the Freedom and Change Coalition and other popular forces.
Communist Party of Canada, Central Executive Committee