I am remiss in not commenting on this earlier, but just as I figured, the UN deadline for the Sudanese government to disarm the janjaweed has come and gone and the result? More attacks and continued violence.
The displaced inhabitants of the Sudanese region of Darfur are traumatized and humiliated, and remain at constant risk of rape, violence and pressure to return to their homes, a United Nations humanitarian official told reporters today after visiting the war-torn area.
What is the Canadian response to this?
Defence Minister Bill Graham says Canada will make a financial contribution to help African Union operations in the violence-racked Sudan region of Darfur, but has no plans to send troops.
"There are no immediate plans to deploy troops there because the international community has generally considered it important that this matter be managed by the African Union Forces that are there," Mr. Graham said during a conference call from Bosnia on Wednesday. "There may be some Canadian contribution to operations in the area if in fact the United Nations are engaged."
"That is presently where everyone is. The Americans, Europeans, nobody is talking about putting in troops at this time."
This is my problem with the way Canada (now?) responds to things. Let's deconstruct this, "the international community has generally considered...", with all due respect, I don't care what the international community thinks. Canadians do not vote for the international community. What does our government think? What does our Prime Minister think? Would do our Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs think?
Apparently the UN is thinking about putting together a Sudan peace force.
United Nations officials have drawn up plans for an all-African military force of about 4,500 troops to protect Sudanese refugees, but the operation will need help from Western nations, senior UN diplomats said yesterday.
So if the UN decides to put together this force, Canada may join. If the UN decides to do this then that is great. But we should be clear before hand where we stand. May Join? Unaccetable. Either we want to do something or we do not. What the UN says is irrelevant. It would make it easier to get something done to go through the UN, but just because the UN says something that doesn't make it right or wrong. It is a political body, like any other one.
But it is not just me. Further down in this article we find this:
In an open letter to Mr. Martin, Alberta Liberal MP David Kilgour said the world community, "Canada included, continues to tolerate the genocidal regime in Khartoum."
Mr. Kilgour, a former junior minister of foreign affairs, said Canada could provide logistical support to the Rwandan and Nigerian soldiers already on the ground.
"How many more accounts of eight-year-old girls being raped and killed are enough for us to take action?" Mr. Kilgour wrote. "Ten years ago, Canada, along [with] the United Nations Security Council and dozens of other countries, shamefully apologized for allowing one million Rwandans to die under our watch and we promised not to do it again -- but isn't that what we have done so far?"
The Prime Minister's Office had no immediate response to Mr. Kilgour's letter.
Conservative foreign-affairs critic Stockwell Day said Canada must provide "relentless leadership instead of hopeless dithering" in support of a major diplomatic push, backed by the threat of sanctions, to pressure the Khartoum regime to curb the attacks on civilians.
Thank you MP Kilgour. Thank you MP Day. Wouldn't it be nice if our government could put some of their vaunted Liberal values into action. Leadership please!
