Randa Mohamed holds a sign that reads 'Stop War' at Sunday's rally.
Heather Waldron/CBC
Dec
Sign House of Commons Petition Calling on Canada to Take Action for Civilians in Sudan
Written by Making HeadlinesSince fighting broke out in April 2023, members of the Sudanese Canadian communities have been calling on the federal government to take action to help civilians trapped in Sudan by the ongoing fight between the Sudanese armed forces and the powerful Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group (RSF).
According to Amnesty International, war crimes are rampant in the region and rape of women and girls is also being used as a weapon of war in the conflict.
Along with its own population, Sudan is home to one of the largest population of refugees in all of Africa, mainly women and children from countries such as Eritrea and Ethiopia, making what is currently unfolding in the country a large scale humanitarian disaster.
Sudan Action Week, running from December 17 to December 24, was organized by Nas Al Sudan and the Sudanese Diaspora Network. They are posting on social media to better educate people about the crisis in Sudan. Learn more about Sudan Action Week here.
An action Canadians can take for Sudan is to sign the House of Commons petition demanding that the Government of Canada take action for civilians in Sudan. The petition is sponsored by Member of Parliament Chandra Arya and the deadline to receive signatures is December 23, 2023.
The petition states:
"We, the undersigned, Citizens and residents of Canada from Sudanese origin, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to:
1. Endorse and encourage the Canadian Government to actively participate through the Five Eyes forum to stop the war in Sudan and ensure the civilian participation in any peace talks;
2. Work with allies to apply meaningful pressure and potentially effective sanctions on the two fighting parties;
3. Increase diplomatic efforts to enable the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open a criminal investigation on the human rights violations that took place after April 15, 2023;
4. Increase Canada’s humanitarian assistance on the ground through UN agencies and trusted local NGOs, especially the ones lead by the youth."
To sign the petition, click here
Back in October 2023, members of Toronto Sudanese Communities, with the support of SMILE Canada, came together to fundraise for Human Concern International's work in Sudan. Then in November 2023, members of Ottawa's Eritrean and Sudanese communities came together to fundraise for Islamic Relief Canada's work in Sudan, with the support of the Assunnah Muslim Association (AMA) and the South Nepean Muslim Community (SNMC). Also in November, Palestinian and Sudanese students at Dalhousie University in Halifax organized a fundraiser celebrating each other's cultures and supporting Islamic Relief Canada's work in Sudan and Gaza.
Muslim Link posted these initiatives on our Events Listings and we will continue to do our best to promote fundraisers and awareness raising events organized by Canadians for Sudan that we are made aware of. Feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
