OTTAWA — A leading human rights group is calling on Ottawa to follow the United States’ lead and declare recent actions by Sudan’s paramilitary forces to constitute genocide.
The Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights has accused the Rapid Support Forces of carrying out genocide in the Darfur region months ago, during Sudan’s brutal civil war.
In April, the organization released a detailed report claiming that Sudan’s paramilitary forces were targeting ethnic groups while using weapons from the United Arab Emirates.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Rapid Support Forces were committing genocide by targeting civilians for murder and rape based on their ethnicity.
The United States imposed sanctions on the group and UAE companies accused of supplying weapons to the group.
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has yet to comment on whether Sudan is committing genocide.
Canada signed a joint statement with the United States and four other countries, released Friday, to mark the 20th anniversary of the peace agreement that ultimately led to the secession of South Sudan, now an independent country.
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