“Bearing all the weight”: Canada’s Sudanese diaspora fights for recognition, asks for support

As Sudan’s war enters its third year, Montreal’s Sudanese diaspora has been organizing in the absence of strong federal action—holding fundraisers, supporting refugees, and raising awareness about a conflict that has displaced over 15 million people and pushed more than half the country’s population into food insecurity. The population is also facing a cholera outbreak, a lack of access to electricity and continuous violence.

On Sunday, over 200 people packed La Sala Rossa in Montreal for a benefit event organized by the Sudan Solidarity Collective and other community partners based in Montreal. Part fundraiser, part cultural showcase, the evening featured poetry, music, and art all rooted in Sudanese identity and anti-colonial resistance.

Montreal-based video journalist Aude Simon, who attended the event, described a strong sense of urgency in the room. “People were sitting on the floor, it was so full,” she said. “And over and over, I heard the same thing: the diaspora here in Canada is doing all the work.”
Canada is home to a significant Sudanese population, concentrated in Montreal and Ontario. Yet many community members feel abandoned as they try to reunite with relatives fleeing the violence or navigate the refugee system.

“The Canadian government’s response has been minimal, both in terms of aid to Sudan and support for Sudanese refugees,” Simon noted. “People are grieving, organizing, and advocating—all at once.”

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is among the world’s worst, with widespread famine, collapsed infrastructure, and rampant disease outbreaks. Still, it remains largely ignored in Canadian political discourse.

“What’s happening in Sudan should be a national concern,” Simon said. “But here, it’s the community bearing all the weight.”