| Many Canadians will have been alerted through media to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Darfur, Sudan. The UN has called it the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, and human rights groups have alleged crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and genocide. The Government of Sudan has armed militia groups, called Janjaweed, as a strategy in its war with rebel groups in Darfur. Under the government’s direction the militia have attacked and burned hundreds of villages. Government troops and offensive military aircraft have often joined in Janjaweed attacks.
According to the UN, some 1.2 million people have been forcibly displaced and between 30-50,000 have been killed in attacks or died from displacement-related hunger and disease. An estimated 1,000 are dying daily. The UN Security Council has made some effort to stop the attacks, and international aid agencies are attempting to respond to the needs of the displaced. But still the humanitarian and security situations in the region remain exceedingly tenuous. In late July, a staffperson of the United Church of Canada visited Darfur as part of a Canadian Foodgrains Bank assessment mission, and confirms the desperate situation facing hundreds of thousands of Darfuri.
The roots of the conflict that have produced the crisis in Darfur are complex and defy easy description. There is a peace process but progress has been halting and slow. What is critical at this time is that emergency aid reaches those in need and that the Janjaweed are disarmed and brought under control. The Sudanese government also must stop inciting the militia groups and cease its own attacks on civilians. Achieving security in the displaced persons camps and the region as a whole is critical if the death toll is not to escalate.
Canadian church organizations have written a letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin (see below) urging him to become directly involved in Canada’s response to the Darfuri crisis. He needs to rally world leaders, working through the UN and other appropriate channels, to put strong and sustained pressure on the Sudanese government to stop the atrocities in Darfur. We are asking Canadians to please e-mail and/or phone the Prime Minister’s Office to register concern over the situation in Darfur, and to urge the prime minister to get more energetically and personally involved. Tell him his efforts will help avert what could become another Rwanda.
Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa
K1A 0A2
Tel: (613) 992-4211
E-mail: Martin.P@parl.gc.ca and pm@pm.gc.ca
Fax: 613-941-6900
August 23, 2004
The Right Honourable Paul Martin
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dear Prime Minister,
We, the undersigned leaders of Canadian churches and KAIROS, are deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Darfur. The attacks by Janjaweed militia, backed by the Government of Sudan, have elicited charges of crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and genocide and have led to the humanitarian disaster we are now witnessing. Six months or a year from now, we do not want to look back and have to acknowledge, as many nations did following the genocide in Rwanda, that we should have done more. We are certain that you share our apprehensions. We believe that a crisis as serious as the one in Darfur warrants the attention of the world’s leaders. Therefore we urge you, and other senior government ministers, to become directly involved in the Darfur file as a means of strengthening Canada’s policy response. We believe the addition of your voice and direction can greatly enhance Canada’s efforts to mitigate the humanitarian crisis and facilitate peace in Darfur and Sudan generally.
Despite having known about the worsening situation in Darfur for more than a year, the international community has only recently taken any action. On July 30 the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1556 giving the Government of Sudan 30 days to disarm the Janjaweed militia and restore security in Darfur. The resolution is widely regarded as “too little, too late.” However, despite the misgivings, the hopes of many are invested in its success.
The Sudanese government has appeared to cooperate with the United Nations’ request, but distressing reports over the last few days suggest that its promises are not being kept. There are many reports of new attacks on civilians including the burning of villages by the Janjaweed and aerial bombardment of civilians by Sudanese government aircraft. One of our Canadian church colleagues was in Darfur just two weeks ago, as part of a Canadian Foodgrains Bank assessment mission, and he confirms the reports of chronic insecurity in the IDP camps and the entire Darfur region.
Since coming to power in a coup in 1989, the Government of Sudan has only ever responded to strong and sustained pressure with clearly spelled out consequences for its failure to respect international humanitarian and human rights law. Should the Government of Sudan once again fail to meet its obligations by August 29, we urge you to rally other world leaders to quickly pass a much tougher resolution at the UN Security Council. The resolution should call for:
- the freezing of offshore assets of all Sudanese government leaders, officials, diplomats and military leaders;
- member states to refuse Sudanese government leaders and officials entry into their countries;
- a process to identify and bring to justice those who have perpetrated crimes against humanity in Darfur and indeed Sudan generally.
Only when it can be independently verified that the Bashir government has ended its support of the Janjaweed, acted to disarm this group, stopped its own attacks on civilians in Darfur, and is serious about peace should these restrictions be lifted.
Parallel to international advocacy, Canada should:
- Significantly expand humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur through increased funding for relief efforts by international humanitarian agencies working in the region. The amount donated since October 2003, $16.5 million, is insufficient given the severity of the crisis;
- Facilitate opportunities for opposition groups in Darfur to consult their constituencies to enable them to participate fully in scheduled peace talks with the Sudanese government;
- Increase Canada’s contribution to the African Union (AU) in support of its energetic efforts to address and mitigate the crisis in Darfur;
- Work to ensure that any humanitarian intervention by the AU or wider international community includes political strategies to address the roots of conflict and insecurity in the whole of Sudan, not just Darfur or southern Sudan;
- Bolster the fragile peace process in southern Sudan by mobilizing international pressure on all parties to complete negotiations, sign a comprehensive agreement, and end current violations of existing agreements that continue to threaten the security of civilians in parts of southern Sudan;
- Urge members of the international community to live up to their obligations under the United Nations Charter and international law, by considering new mechanisms to protect civilians vulnerable to wide ranging abuses by state and non-state actors.
The international community’s delayed response to the unfolding tragedy in Darfur has already been costly. The mistakes of the past should not be compounded with more indifference and paralysis. Let us not split hairs debating over what is and is not genocide when atrocities and crimes against humanity are continuing.
Let us be moved to strong and resolute action.
Sincerely,
The Most Rev. Andrew Hutchison, Primate, Anglican Church of Canada
The Rev. Richard W. Fee, Moderator, The Presbyterian Church in Canada
Mary Corkery, Executive Director, KAIROS:Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives/Initiatives canadiennes oecuméniques pour la justice
Donald Peters, Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee Canada
The Right Rev. Peter Short, Moderator, The United Church of Canada
c.c: The Hon. Pierre Pettigrew, Minister for Foreign Affairs
pettigrew.p@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. Aileen Carroll, Minister for International Co-operation
carroll.a@parl.gc.ca
Ms. Alexa McDonough, New Democratic Party
mcDonough.a@parl.gc.ca
Stockwell Day, Conservative Party
day.s@parl.gc.ca
Francine Lalonde, Bloc Quebecois
lalonde.f@parl.gc.ca
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