Carney’s visit to the U.A.E. amidst Sudan civil war
On Wednesday Nov. 20, Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in the United Arab Emirates, making him the first Prime Minister to do so since 1983. He met with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Prime Minister and Crown Prince of the U.A.E. to discuss trade relations in industries like AI, infrastructure, critical minerals, and more; while the U.A.E. being accused of supporting a conflict in Sudan.
Since the start of the U.S.-Canada trade war, Carney has looked to other countries to create trade relations, like the U.A.E. This is part of Carney’s plan to “double non-U.S. exports over the next decade and unleash $1 trillion in new investment in Canada over five years.” In 2024 U.A.E. and Canada exported and imported over CA$3.4 billion from each other. This number will continue to grow as Canada is investing $70 billion from the U.A.E., according to CTV News. Carney announced in a statement the Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, will lead a business delegation to the U.A.E. in early 2026. This delegation will help Canadian companies build partnerships within the U.A.E., and with its investors. These include sectors such as energy, AI, security, infrastructure, agri-food, and advanced technologies. They also discussed strengthening “commercial ties between the two countries through the announced expansion of the Canada-United Arab Emirates Air Transportation Agreement.”
This trip comes at a precarious time, as according to Global News, it happened as U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he plans to put greater attention on helping find an end to the Sudan civil war. The U.A.E. has received backlash for their alleged role in the conflict. According to the BBC, Sudan has repeatedly accused the U.A.E. of backing the Sudanese government’s rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and therefore violating Sudan’s sovereignty by funding the RSF. In response, Sudan has cut diplomatic ties with the U.A.E., as the defence minister announced, the Sudanese ambassador will be withdrawn from the U.A.E. Despite this, the U.A.E. has denied these allegations, saying that they have neither supported the RSF financially or politically.
After the meeting, Carney has not accused the U.A.E. of being involved with the RSF, and his office said in a statement “the two leaders condemned attacks against civilians, by the Rapid Support Forces and by the Sudanese Armed Forces.” Carney has yet to take sides, emphasising “the need for both warring parties and their affiliates to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Sudan.” Carney remains neutral on this subject, as he has yet to delve further into detail.