The Mark Carney government today signed a memorandum of understanding expanding military cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, which is widely accused of backing mass-killings by a paramilitary force in Sudan. 

During a signing ceremony with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Ottawa, a Canadian government spokesperson said the MOU built on an earlier agreement that was first signed in 2017. 

The new MOU, the spokesperson said, “establishes a framework for enhanced military cooperation, information sharing, training and defence engagement.”

The Carney government also signed the Canada-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), as well as MOUs concerning energy and diplomatic relations with the U.A.E.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said: “Successfully negotiated in a record 47 days, the CEPA will strengthen economic ties, expand commercial opportunities, and support long-term prosperity in both countries.”

The U.A.E. is accused of funding and covertly arming the “Rapid Support Forces” paramilitary group in Sudan, which since April 2023 has carried out mass killings of tens of thousands of civilians. 

In March 2025, the Sudanese government accused the U.A.E. of complicity in genocide in a case brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The U.A.E. strongly rejected the charges.

The ICJ dismissed the case two months later after finding it lacked appropriate jurisdiction to impose provisional measures against the U.A.E.

However, the Gulf monarchy’s support for the RSF and that group’s responsibility for mass-killings and other atrocities have been extensively documented by international human rights groups.

The U.A.E.’s interest in Sudan is reportedly driven by factors that include the RSF’s control over gold mining operations, the U.A.E.’s strategic desire to control ports on the Red Sea coastline and the U.A.E’s investments in agricultural lands, which are important to maintaining the Gulf monarchy’s food supply.

Canada has officially condemned the RSF’s killings as recently as this week and called for the conflict in Sudan to end. The statement did not mention the U.A.E.’s role in the conflict.

Canada has also closely allied itself with the U.A.E. and other Gulf states during Iran’s retaliatory strikes following the U.S.-Israeli war of aggression that launched in February.

According to government data, Canada exported $10.4 million of military goods to the U.A.E. last year.