By World BEYOND War, August 2, 2026

Last Friday, the Canadian government announced it had concluded negotiations for a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after only 47 days of talks. In a statement, the government boasted that this was “one of the fasted agreement negotiations that Canada has ever completed.”

The government had been aggressively pursuing the trade deal, also known as a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), since Prime Minister Carney’s UAE trip last November.

By rushing to finalize this deal, Ottawa has made clear its refusal to acknowledge the UAE’s role as the main backer of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia that has resumed and expanded the Darfur genocide while committing atrocities across Sudan and perpetuating the war.

Canada is choosing profit over holding the UAE accountable.

The UAE-backed RSF’s massacre in El Fasher occurred just weeks before Carney and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed first announced the deal on Carney’s historic trip to the UAE. As the Canadian government was rushing to conclude negotiations, the RSF was escalating their deadly drone war on civilians in Kordofan and closing in on the city of El Obeid, with UN experts sounding the alarm of a repeat of the mass atrocities witnessed in El Fasher.

The Canadian government hopes that the CEPA deal will more than double bilateral trade with the UAE within the next decade. Given the 2025 trade valued at $3.5 billion, they expect more than $7 billion of annual trade. In 2025, Canadian arms exports to UAE amounted to $10.5 million. If CEPA is signed, these arms exports could increase.

The UAE is the main sponsor of the genocidal RSF and had provided them with a steady flow of advanced weapons, fuel, foreign mercenaries, and logistical support. The RSF militia has been committing horrific atrocities across Sudan, including a genocide against Zaghawa, Masalit, Fur and other non-Arab peoples, particularly in Darfur.

The Government of Canada has deliberately chosen to ignore the UAE’s direct role in arming the RSF’s unspeakable atrocities against the people of Sudan in favour of accelerated trade partnerships. The UAE must be economically isolated and held accountable –not rewarded.

The Canada-UAE CEPA has not yet been legally reviewed, signed or ratified. Now is a critical point to demand Canada cut ties with genocide.

Take action: We’ve launched a new campaign open letter, email tool, detailed explainer, and more at worldbeyondwar.org/CutTiesWithGenocide

The post Canada Negotiates Trade Deal (CEPA) with the UAE in Record Time, Choosing Profit Over Sudanese Lives appeared first on World BEYOND War.

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