By Paul Lungen
It’s still fairly early in the federal election campaign, but one issue that seems to have completely slipped under the radar of the mainstream political parties and the media is the calamitous situation in Darfur.
As many as 10,000 Sudanese refugees continue to be killed each and every month by roving bands of janjaweed, militias supported by the government in Khartoum, said Dr. Norman Epstein, founder of C.A.S.T.S. (Canadians Against Slavery and Torture in Sudan).
While Canada has advanced the “responsibility to protect” doctrine, which gives countries the right to intervene in the internal affairs of other nations to prevent atrocities, political parties and voters have turned a blind eye to the ongoing mayhem in Darfur, he said.
Epstein said C.A.S.T.S. is hoping to make the situation in Darfur – which he has characterized as an “African Auschwitz” – into a campaign issue. The group is putting together a “primer” on events in Africa so that voters, armed with the information, can “raise it in town halls.”
Mark Weintraub, Canadian Jewish Congress’ spokesman on Darfur, is likewise disappointed in Canada’s tepid response to the ongoing genocide.
It now appears too much stock was placed on peace talks that have made little progress, with the result that the janjaweed continue to rampage and refugees continue to suffer, he said.
“We see that the sense of satisfaction that there would be an end to the killing has turned to disappointment,” Weintraub said in a telephone interview from Vancouver.
Canada’s political parties are ignoring Darfur. “It is not an election issue,” he said. “It must be an election issue and we will do our best to make it an election issue.”To mid-December, the campaign has focused primarily on domestic concerns, including child care, health issues, crime and corruption – with some America-bashing thrown in. Little has been said on Canada’s deployment of troops to Afghanistan, let alone on foreign policy on Darfur.
Epstein said some progress on the Darfur file was made early in the year. Canada raised the issue in international fora, it sent a handful of support troops to the region as well as armoured personnel carriers (they languish in Senegal as the Sudanese government refuses to allow them to enter) and it pledged $380 million (since 2000) for Darfur refugees and the African Union (AU) military force. It also appointed an advisory team that includes Sen. Roméo Dallaire, former head of UN forces in Rwanda, and the prime minister has named a Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan, Sen. Mobina Jaffer.But it can do much more. “It should walk the walk and not just talk the talk,” he said.
Canada remains in a good position to exercise its unique leverage to move things ahead, Epstein continued. Canada has good diplomatic relations with the United States, the European Union and with African nations.
A multinational force must be put in place to protect aid convoys and NGO workers.
Ottawa, he said, seems to be “putting all its eggs in the AU basket.” However, the AU force does not have the mandate to actually prevent the janjaweed from slaughtering innocent Africans (they are there as ceasefire observers), nor does it have sufficient military strength or logistical support to intervene, he said.
“Things have really stalled and the situation is even unravelling more. There is more insecurity in Darfur,” he said. Civilians continue to be murdered and even those who have fled to refugee camps are in danger.
Meanwhile, the international community’s policies continue to employ “bizarre logic.” At the same time that many members of the Khartoum regime face indictment by the International Criminal Court, “the international community continues to negotiate with those genocidaires for permission to go in and protect civilians and provide aid. The Khartoum regime is obstructing that,” Epstein said.Weintraub said Congress will re-evaluate its advocacy program in coming weeks after it is briefed by contacts returning from Darfur. In the meantime it is attempting to co-ordinate its advocacy efforts with the American Jewish World Service, a humanitarian NGO.
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Websites of the three major parties make only passing reference to Darfur.
The prime minister’s website states, “protecting civilians in armed conflict and ensuring that the international community is equipped to deliver effectively on its responsibility to protect are top priorities of Canada’s foreign policy.”
The Conservative website quotes foreign affairs critic Stockwell Day saying “Canada must do everything possible to encourage a UN coalition of nations, who are willing to show a presence in Darfur, to deter the atrocities of murder, rape and forced evacuation.”
During question period prior to parliament’s dissolution, Day said, “If the UN is determined to follow the same pattern that led to the Rwandan Genocide, then Canada must urge other nations to join in a multilateral mission to protect the people of Darfur.”A news release on the NDP website quotes foreign affairs critic Alexa McDonough saying, “Canada must urge the UN to take stronger and more tangible action on Darfur. Safety of UN personnel must be of paramount concern but it’s imperative that the developments that have led to their removal (after aid workers were attacked) spur the international community into providing a more effective response to the crisis that continues in Sudan.”
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