Irwin Cotler has an op-ed in the National Post today entitled “The Issue this Election Forgot.” In case you can’t tell from the title, this article is right up our alley (e.g. see every other post on this blog). Below are a few excerpts and comments:

In this federal election campaign, important questions about Darfur need to be addressed by the leaders of Canada’s major parties: How do we respond to the Sudanese government beginning its sixth year of genocidal warfare by launching ferocious ground and air assaults on its African civilian populations? How do we protect the Darfurian people as the Sudanese government attempts to destroy the relief efforts set up to offer food and shelter to those in need? How do we reassure aid workers whose own lives are threatened by a government-orchestrated campaign of terror? How do we respond to the bloodshed in the Kalma displaced persons camp last month, where the Sudanese government killed 31 people, including 17 women and children?…

…As I have previously recommended, what is desperately needed now is a “Darfur Summit” convening the leadership of the African Union, the European Union, the UN, the Arab League, NATO and the Sudanese government, to implement a “Save Darfur/ Sudan” action plan. This would include the urgent mobilization and effective deployment of the UN-African Union protection force, which could include the 10,000 South Sudan volunteer peacekeepers who are ready to act, the enhancement of humanitarian assistance and protection of aid workers, the rescue of the Darfur Peace Process and the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement, both of which are in a coma, the leveraging of China to end its arms sales to Darfur and the implementation of a no-fly zone to stop the indiscriminate bombing of civilian villages.

I have stressed numerous times on this blog that the biggest problem with the international response to Darfur (that is, other than the obvious ones) is a lack of Consistency. There is no strategy, no unity, and no coherency. Cotler’s suggestions are precisely the sort of thing the situation needs for the international community to develop a strategic plan that encompasses diplomacy, justice, military protection, and humanitarian concerns. For example, a large group of nations standing together and saying to the Government of Sudan, “you will be supported if you stop the bombings, proceed with elections, hand over international criminals, etc, but you will be punished in these specific ways if you don’t.”

My only concern with the idea of a “Darfur Summit” is that it would likely be co-opted before it even began by the Government of Sudan’s friends in China, the AU, the Arab League and elsewhere. Basically, President Bashir and his cronies have shown a remarkable ability to rally support from other nations when they need it. For this reason, Canada, the US, the UN, and other concerned parties should get together and make sure they are all on the same page before any such meeting (or regardless of whether such a meeting actually occurs anyway). I think Bashir would have a much more difficult time rallying support against a forceful, unified message from the world’s most powerful nations.

One of the questions that I’m really glad Cotler points out involves the protection of the humanitarian aid community who are supporting close to 5 million people in Chad and Sudan yet could be thrown out any day by the Government (which threatens precisely that). A possible first step of an international contact group for Sudan could be to make it abundantly clear to the Government of Sudan that any attempt to shut down or seriously interfere with the life-saving aid effort will absolutely not be tolerated. If the humanitarian effort is shut down (piece by piece), this crisis could turn suddenly a lot worse.

Thank you Irwin Cotler for your emphasis of this issue.

This just in from Laura Bisaillon, Green Party candidate for Charlottetown:

I offer several thoughts on Darfur:

First, Elizabeth May is the candidate who first made and routinely makes reference to Darfur. She impresses the need for concerted and effective action in Sudan. You will have read about her ideas and those endorsed by the Green Party on Point 9 of the Party Platform Brief, “Looking Forward” at: http://www.greenparty.ca/en/platform

Second, faraway conflicts are the concern of global citizenry for reasons relating to common resources, ethics, human security, and human rights. For those in doubt, I urge them to read up on Complexity Theory. I speak from experience in the field and research in refugee health in Africa and Canada. I have worked as a Social Support Worker for Rwandan Genocide survivors in Montréal and Ottawa. I worked in refugee camps in the Horn of Africa, and was involved in health policy and evaluation work during the same period. I am personally disheartened that resolve is not brought to this conflict several years after I lived in neighbouring Ethiopia. While there are no quick fixes to complex situations, I am frustrated that this conflict is unresolved.

Third, I am aware of the links between war and illness, which is a further reason for *serious* global action to resolve this conflct. I am involved with the AIDS movement in Canada and internationally, and see first hand the impacts of war. For a time I was involved with the Canadian Council for Refugees, and I am knowledgeable about refugee and immigrant health issues; these are subject of my doctoral research in Population Health.

I applaud and support you in your advocacy/lobby efforts to bring about a cease to violence and human rights violations.

Please contact me if you would like to discuss in further detail.

Warm wishes,

Laura Bisaillon
Green Party of Canada
Candidate for Charlottetown

In case you haven’t had enough of the major parties’ positions on Darfur, here’s one from the NDP:

Jack Layton and Canada’s New Democrats are united in their support for all efforts to end the violence against civilians in the Darfur region. We continue to support the work of STAND and the Sudanese Diaspora to keep the Sudan crisis on the Canadian government’s agenda. New Democrat MPs, including Alexa McDonough, Paul Dewar, Tony Martin and Bill Siksay, have consistently spoken out about the need for the Canadian government to do much more for the people of Darfur.

Paul Dewar (MP for Ottawa-Centre) is the NDP foreign affairs critic and has been our lead on Darfur. As you may know, he has been instrumental in moving the issue forward in the House of Commons by initiating a study at the Foreign Affairs committee. Paul is also vice-chair of the parliamentary group against genocide and has been active on Darfur in that capacity as well.

There is a growing concern among everyday Canadians that their public and private investments may be directly or indirectly contributing to the crisis in Darfur. NDP Foreign Affairs critic, Paul Dewar noted, “Knowing what we know about Darfur, business as usual is unconscionable.” Despite opposition from Conservatives, the Foreign Affairs committee last year adopted an NDP motion to undertake a study of Canadian funds invested in Sudan and explore legislative initiatives to regulate such investments in light of the worsening crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In May of this year, we have called on the Harper Conservative’s take leadership. Jack stated that “this is exactly the kind of peacekeeping role that Canadians have always supported. Canadians would want us to be in Darfur. That sentiment is found right across the country.”

Our Party wants Canada to take a lead role in any UN mission to stop the bloodshed in Sudan’s Darfur province. Canada could and should commit immediately to the following measures:

• support the United Nations Mission to Sudan (UNMIS)
• offer Canadian troops to complement the advance party requested by the UN
• push for a stronger UN resolution on Sudan
• offer logistical support to the United Nations-African Union hybrid force carrying out its mandate to protect the population in Darfur.

New Democrats will continue to speak out on both Canadian and international inaction on Darfur and will lend our support to all efforts to bring peace to this tragically, neglected region.

While I believe this position shows a lot of commitment to the issue and a great deal of promise, I have to reiterate the point that has been made before on this blog: DIPLOMACY. A peace process is absolutely necessary, but unfortunately it is unlikely to come about without a consistent and coherent international position supported by numerous nations. Along these lines, we’ve suggested the idea of a Special Envoy (or even a all-parliamentary committee) to create a point man in the diplomatic effort. We really appreciate the NDP stance on Darfur and like the fact that they are making it a priority, but if I could add one thing, it would be about diplomacy.

Thanks NDP!