Letter to the Editor Re: Cotler

In response to Cotler's OpEd, this letter to the editor questions the Darfur adocacy community's acceptance of a Chapter VII UN intervention:

These requirements necessitate well-armed soldiers who will more than likely have to kill more than a few marauders and militiamen before they get the message. This approach is what is required, but I suspect it will not be embraced by the activist community.

In response, STAND Policy Director, Max Kelly wrote the following:

Re: Mac Savage's letter in response to How Canada can Help Heal Sudan by Irwin Cotler (May 17).

Mr. Savage obviously hasn't being paying attention to what the Darfur advocates he so casually slanders have been saying. We are well aware that a robust, well-armed UN force with a mandate to protect civilians is what's needed for Darfur, and we also know that Western militaries need to be part of that mission. Weeks ago Kofi Annan warned that the developed world couldn’t farm out the mission to the developing world, but despite our spirited rhetoric we’ve yet to ante up.

I've been to Darfur and seen how deficient the African Union force is in terms of numbers, equipment and mandate. I've also been to the Democratic Republic of Congo and seen the difference a well-equipped UN mission can make with a robust mandate and the will, as Mr. Savage puts it, to “kill more than a few militiamen” if necessary. Like most of the Darfur advocacy community, I realize that peace rarely comes without security.

Canada can make a difference, if we choose. Despite Minister
O’Connor’s claims to the contrary, we have military resources we could contribute. Will it be a short-term engagement; an easy engagement? Of course not. Just like Afghanistan, a mission to Darfur will take discipline and dedication in order to yield results. The exit strategy for Canada would be the same as that for the international community - when a sustainale peace is in place, when civilians aren't being slaughtered, the UN can draw down its presence. None of us look back at Rwanda and think it would have been easy, but most of us think it would have been worth the risks to save the innocent. Are the people of Darfur any less deserving?

Max Kelly
Policy Director,
STAND Canada

Cotler OpEd

Hon. Irwin Cotler penned this OpEd in the National Post calling for Canadian action. The 10 Points that he touts were conceived in collaboration with STAND and other NGOs:

What follows is a 10 point agenda for action whereby Canada, in concert with the international community, can exercise the necessary moral, diplomatic and political leadership to save Darfur.

1 Support for the rapid transition from the current African Union observer mission to a strong UN-mandated "Chapter VII" protection force. This mission would put an end to the mass atrocities being perpetrated in Darfur, in accordance with the Canadian-initiated "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine, which was affirmed recently by the UN Security Council. Indeed, Darfur is a test case for the validity of this doctrine;

2 Ensure that the prospective multinational protection force has the necessary numbers, resources and capacity to implement a robust civilian-protection mandate. Canada should make its own contribution;

3 Support for the UN Security Council Resolution to bring war criminals to justice before the International Criminal Court;

4 Enforcement of the UN Security Council ban on offensive military flights over Darfur, which have resulted in the burning of villages and the killing of innocents;

5 Support for the Darfur Peace Agreement, including its provisions calling for the disarming of the government-sponsored Janjaweed marauders -- while acknowledging that this agreement should not pre-empt or postpone international action to stop the killing;

6 Given that the Government of Sudan is in violation of a number of Security Council Resolutions relating to its support of violence in Darfur, the UN Security Council should consider additional sanctions under Article 41 of the UN Charter;

7 Given the urgent humanitarian crisis in Darfur, including the recent halving of per-capita food allocations by the World Food Program and the ominous threat of death by starvation, Canada should take the lead to ensure that donor nations fulfill their pledges for food assistance, and that humanitarian assistance reaches the victims;

8 Secure the protection of refugees and 3-million internally displaced persons, and facilitate the safe return to their homes;

9 Address the regionalization and internationalization of the conflict, including the extension of the killing into neighbouring Chad, and the pernicious role of China as Khartoum's paymaster; and

10 Convene an urgent meeting of world leaders from the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and NATO to draft and implement a "Save Darfur Action Plan."

As the student posters put it at the "Save Darfur" rallies in Washington, Toronto and elsewhere, "If not us, who? If not now, when?"

STAND EVENTS Reminder

TODAY: May 10th at 8:30pm - conference call for interested new STAND Canada NATIONAL members (email standwithus@standcanada.org for dial in number and passcode)

SUNDAY: May 13th - afternoon - Open House meeting for new roles coming available in STAND Canada NATIONAL this summer. Be there. (for more info please attend the conference call)

ACTION this week

Take the time to sift through some of the many articles about Darfur in the Canadian media recently, and then make the effort to respond, as a letter to an editor, or even to the author themselves. All such contact information can be found on newspapers' web pages.

You may find some of the following information useful in creating your responses:

Current Media Talking Points: Canada must take the lead.

Over the past week, a number of leading Canadians have called for Canada to take the lead on Darfur in the international community. Senator Roméo Dallaire has called for the deployment of 1500 Canadian troops to Darfur as part of a 20,000-strong UN mission; the NDP Party has called on Canada to lead; Liberal MP Keith Martin has fought to table a motion calling on Canada to take action (link req’d).

It is time to make our voices heard, this time to the media. Making a buzz in the media will push our government, especially on its current weak stance on the need for a UN force on the ground (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060502.DARFURDEBATE02/TPStory/TPInternational/Africa/).

Why does the UN need to go in?

1. The recent peace deal is already under siege. Some rebel factions haven’t signed on yet. There are dissenters within the rebel faction that has signed. The violence against civilians hasn’t stopped. The government of Sudan has a long shameful history of violating peace deals (as recently as one signed in 2005 with rebels in the South).
2. There is a consensus among the experts that the only way to strengthen the peace deal and halt the slaughter is to replace the current African Union mission with a far more robust UN mission capable of protecting civilians from attack. Even the force commander of the AU mission is calling for the UN to deploy in force (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/4ee77a372e28d8b42b8382ae4928ad8d.htm).
3. Greater humanitarian aid and access is needed urgently. The World Food Program has cut rations to 1000 cal/day for displaced persons in camps in Darfur, and the lack of security for relief workers limits their ability to distribute the resources they’ve already got.

Why Canada?

• Canada doesn’t have a colonial or imperialist history: our international reputation will help build legitimacy and support for a UN mission.
• Canadians are demanding action
  • Canadians demand action: 1000+ attended rally in Toronto on April 30, 2006.
  • Lt Gen. Roméo Dallaire recently called for 1500 Canadian troops as part of Canada’s role in Darfur.
  • The NDP has called for Canada to take the lead internationally on Darfur.
• Canada must demonstrate a commitment to the Responsibility to Protect docrtrine we helped create. According to this doctrine, sovereign states have a responsibility to protect their own citizens from genocide, ethnic cleansing and other crimes against humanity. If states are unable or unwilling to fulfill that responsibility falls on the wider international community, including Canada.
• UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has specifically stated that troops from developed nations will be needed in order ensure that a UN mission to Darfur has the capacity to fulfill its mandate. The mission needs Canada, among others, to participate militarily.

What Canada Should Be Doing:

1. Canada must add its diplomatic voice to the growing number calling for the rapid deployment of a robust UN force to Darfur.
2. That UN force must be given a mandate under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter so that they are empowered to protect civilians on all sides from attacks, and the resources necessary to carry out that mandate, including roughly 20,000 troops.
3. Canada should encourage other developed nations to contribute to the UN mission by stepping forward with an offer of roughly 450 ground troops¹ and a squadron of CF-18 fighter jets² to enforce the UN-imposed no-fly zone over Darfur, and provide air support and intelligence for the entire UN mission.

WELCOME ALL

STAND Canada welcomes you all to our new blog - a platform which we hope you will all use to stay up to date with Darfur related events and action. We will continue to post action ideas on here, as well as links to news articles. We welcome your feedback always. Please also see www.standcanada.org - our main website.