THE 2009 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S CORNER
A new web feature, providing one-stop commentary and updates
on issues affecting Canadian policy in Sudan
THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARYBlog entries from Amnesty International Canada's Secretary General, Alex Neve, during recent mission to Chad April 30 – Mission to Chad: the work begins May 2 – It is not yet safe to be a woman here May 3 – 'I know my future is not here' May 5 – They are there on their own May 7 – 'Insecurity is never far away' May 10 – 'Feed their minds or they will go off to fight' May 14 – Heavy hearts and inspiration April 30, 2009: Mission to Chad: The Work Begins "Our team of three has wrapped up our first day of work in eastern Chad. The clearest assessment I can give at this point is that the heat is unrelentingly searing. We flew into Abéché, the main city in the east on a UN flight very early this morning. The first thing to hit me is how dramatically this isolated small city has been transformed through the deployment of European Union and United Nations forces just over a year ago. It began with hitching a ride with a Norwegian military engineer who is helping to build a hospital on the new UN base here. We needed his help simply getting to the base’s entrance where a local human rights group had arranged for us to be picked up. None of that was even contemplated when I was here 2 1/2 years ago. The base didn't even exist. The need for an international force on the ground in eastern Chad was the most pressing recommendation that came out of our earlier mission to eastern Chad in late 2006. At that time, an unceasing wave of violence had ravaged the region, mainly in the form of vicious attacks mounted by Darfur’s terrifying Janjawid militia groups spilling across the border from neighbouring Sudan. The Chadian government, based some 1000 kilometres away in the capital, seemed unable, unprepared and, sadly, unwilling to take action to protect people in the east from these widespread human rights violations. We gathered wrenching stories at that time. Thousands of people had been killed, countless women raped, hundreds of villages and settlements destroyed, and close to 200,000 Chadians fled their homes and became internally displaced within their own country. In interview after interview we heard people describe their feeling of abandonment: abandoned before, during and after the attacks. Abandoned to terror and to death. It was clear that the international community had to step in and provide protection. We pushed hard for that to happen and certainly welcomed the UN Security Council's decision in September 2007 to assemble a force. It took many months to gather the necessary troops. And even now, much is missing. Most notoriously, the force does not yet have any military helicopters, an absolute necessity given the need to rapidly respond to acts of violence in far-flung communities that would take forever to reach overland. The UN says it needs 18, but not one single helicopter has been provided. This has become a common refrain facing UN missions in a number of other locations as well, including Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo. For want of helicopters, people in eastern Chad and many other countries are being put in considerable danger. We have had a number of initial meetings today including a local Chadian human rights group that works in refugee camps and internally displaced sites; a variety of UN officials and other NGO's. We have begun exploring some of the key concerns on our mind: whether the international force has succeeded in bringing security to the area; recruitment of child soldiers; rape and other violence against women; and the possibility of more refugees fleeing Darfur in the wake of the recent expulsion of a dozen humanitarian agencies after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Sudan’s President. We will make our first visit to one of the Darfur refugee camps on Saturday. We will continue to work in and around Abeche until Monday. Then we head to Farchana, an area surrounded by a considerable number of refugee camps, for several days; and then Goz Beida, the area that bore the worst of the atrocities in late 2006. We will end with two days back in the capital, N'Djamena. We will be following up on the findings of our 2008 mission that had documented human rights abuses associated with fighting between government and opposition forces in the capital in February 2008. We also hope to meet a number of senior government leaders before we leave the country. Our presence has been welcomed by everyone we’ve met. People remember the work we have done over the past several years in response to the many deadly human rights crises Chad has faced. While our work this time has just begun, it is already clear that there remains much to do. Visit the official blog on Amnesty International Canada's website. Back to top ___________________________________________________ CANADA AND SUDANAbdelrazik cheered by supporters on return to MontrealCBC News online – June 29, 2009MONTREAL – Abousfian Abdelrazik, the Canadian national who has been stranded in Sudan for the past 6 years, returned home on June 29th. Read more Related:
Sudan kidnappers threaten to kill aid workersBy Alastair Sharp and Khalid Abdel Aziz, Reuters UK – April 12, 2009KHARTOUM – Kidnappers holding two aid workers in Sudan's Darfur region said on Sunday they will kill them unless Paris retried members of a French group convicted but later pardoned over the abduction of children from Chad. Read more Canadian police boost their presence in SudanRCMP – April 8, 2009Ottawa – The RCMP has recently deployed a new contingent of police officers to the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), bringing the total number of Canadian police in that mission from 5 to 20. Read more Gunmen kill Sudanese man working for Canadian aid groupCBC News online – March 24, 2009A Sudanese man working for a Canadian aid agency in Darfur has been shot and killed in the latest attack against a foreign organization in Sudan, the group said Tuesday. Gunmen attacked Adam Khater, 39, at his home Monday night and demanded a satellite phone, said Mark Simmons, Sudan country director for the charity Fellowship for African Relief (FAR). Read more Canadian nurse kidnapped in Darfur returns homeCBC News online – March 21, 2009Laura Archer, a Canadian nurse working for Médecins Sans Frontières who was taken hostage last week in Darfur, Sudan, returned to Montreal on Saturday evening. Read more Related:
International Court's Canadian chief defends timing of al-Bashir warrantCanadian Press – March 10, 2009THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The Canadian president of the International Criminal Court said Tuesday politics was not an issue in deciding whether and when to order the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Read more Statement on SudanBy Minister Oda – March 5, 2009"Canada is deeply concerned by the Sudanese decision to expel humanitarian NGOs from Sudan and by the effect that this expulsion will have on the millions of people in the country who rely on international aid and who have been suffering for so many years..." Read more It's a sobering state of health care in war-torn south SudanBy Richard Hundt, Embassy – March 2, 2009GORDHIM, SUDAN – By early afternoon the scorching African sun is at its hottest, making the ill-equipped health clinic in the rural village of Gordhim in Southern Sudan even more uncomfortable. There have been marginal developments in the area since the civil war between the north and south ended in 2005, though health care remains largely inadequate. Read more CIDA Confirms Shift to Americas, Fewer CountriesBy Lee Berthiaume, Embassy – February 24, 2009CIDA Minister Bev Oda revealed Monday the 20 countries into which the government intends to pour the brunt of Canadian bilateral aid in the years ahead, solidifying Canada's shift in focus from Africa to the Americas. Some of those added are Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan (Darfur), Colombia and Peru. The first three were already among Canada's largest aid recipients, while Canada has recently signed free trade agreements with Colombia and Peru. Read more Related:
Sudan backlash expected if leader indicted: UNBy Steven Edwards, Canwest News Service – February 5, 2009UNITED NATIONS – Canada is among western countries bracing for possible retaliation against its embassy in Sudan ahead of the likely war-crimes indictment this month of the North African country’s leader. Read more Canada Deplores Upsurge of Violence in DarfurNews Release: Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Government of Canada – February 2, 2009The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued a statement regarding the recent upsurge in violence in Darfur. Read the statement Speeches: Notes for an Address by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Heads of African Missions to CanadaForeign Affairs and International Trade, Government of Canada – January 20, 2009"Welcome, and thank you for coming. I am here to listen to your concerns and suggestions. Before I do so, I would like to share my perspectives on the present situation on the African continent..." Read more Back to top ___________________________________________________ CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICYCIDA Under Attack (from its Own Minister)By Stephen Brown, the Mark – June 23, 2009Bev Oda, the minister of the Canadian International Development Agency, attacked the agency publicly, saying it lacked in-house technical expertise. Read more Has Canada's R2P About-Face Come Too Late?By Michelle Collins, Embassy – April 22, 2009Standing before a packed room at the University of Ottawa in early March, former Canadian ambassador to the UN Allan Rock declared that the Responsibility to Protect was "at great risk" from both its opponents, and some friends. Read more Challenges of Modern-Day PeacekeepingBy Louise Fréchette, Opinion, Embassy – April 22, 2009Peacekeeping holds a special place in the hearts of Canadians. For more than 50 years, Canada has been recognized as a world leader in peacekeeping. Indeed, a Canadian, Lester B. Pearson, is widely credited as being its architect. Read more Commons site now lets you check how your MP votedBy Alexander Panetta, The Globe & Mail – April 18, 2009OTTAWA – Want to know how your MP has been voting in the House of Commons? Finding out has just become a whole lot easier. Read more Related: House to post MPs' voting records, by Cynthia Münster, The Hill Times – February 23, 2009 Is Development More Like GM or Google?By Parker Mitchell, Opinion, Embassy – April 22, 2009...Today's discussion on foreign aid focuses on money. The recent decision by the federal government to focus on fewer countries is based on being a "top-five" donor in any particular country. It assumes that money is what matters... Read more The Fight Over and Future of Canadian Aid to AfricaBy Lee Berthiaume, Embassy – April 1, 2009This week, Canada's 2008/09 fiscal year came to an end and, in a speech to foreign diplomats in Ottawa last week, CIDA Minister Bev Oda proudly stated that the Tory government had fulfilled Mr. Martin's – and Canada's – commitment. That statement, however, is the subject of intense controversy. Read more CIDA Shift Married with Foreign Policy Priorities: OdaBy Lee Berthiaume, Embassy – March 25, 2009CIDA Minister Bev Oda has confirmed foreign policy considerations and regional concerns played a role in how the government compiled its new list of focus countries for Canadian bilateral aid. Read more Related:
Canada's Image Hurt by Access to Information RulesBy Janeen Yusuf, Embassy – March 25, 2009Information Commissioner Robert Marleau says that if the government does not change the country's Access to Information regime, Canada's reputation as an outstanding democratic nation will take a hit. Read more Related:
Double Whammy of Recession, Shrinking Government Funds Hitting NGOs HardBy Janeen Yusuf, Embassy – April 8, 2009Caught between the global economic crisis and major decreases in government funding, many of Canada's internationally-focused civil society groups are rethinking how they operate even as they struggle to stay alive. Read more A Champion is NeededEmbassy – March 18, 2009While the government is looking at racking up $68 billion in debt over the next two years to help get the country out of the global economic crisis, it is pummelling the already battered Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with $481 million in budget cuts last fiscal year and slashing an additional $158 million this coming fiscal year. Read more CIDA cuts to Africa could hamper UN ambitionsBy Brian Laghi and Jane Taber, The Globe & Mail – March 16, 2009OTTAWA – The Harper government has dispatched a senior MP to Africa to seek support for a Canadian seat on the UN's powerful Security Council, an effort that critics say may be hamstrung by this country's changes to African aid. Read more Related:
Canada's Strengths Can Shine in the Obama EraBy Joe Clark, Embassy – Feburary 18, 2009For all our growth and innovation, Canada has relatively less influence in trade and economics than we had in politics and diplomacy. Economic power reflects size; diplomacy depends more on imagination, and agility, and reputation. Canada's political strengths have more currency again, if we choose to use them. Read more Related: Let's trade on our G20 status to help the poor by Joe Clark, Globe & Mail – February 24, 2009 Full-Steam Ahead on Spreading DemocracyBy Lee Berthiaume, Embassy – February 18, 2009Democratic Reform Minister of State Steven Fletcher outlines the government's plans for building a new non-partisan centre and supporting democratic governance abroad. Read more Related: Democracy agency must be arm's length: expert by Don Butler, The Ottawa Citizen – February 25, 2009. Canada losing visibility on world stage: EmersonBy Peter O'Neil, Europe Correspondent, Canwest News Service – Monday, February 16, 2009PARIS – David Emerson, in his first wide-ranging interview since retiring from politics, says Canada must adopt a more activist foreign policy, be less "short-sighted" in spending initiatives, and avoid the "dangerous" trend of letting leaders be dominated by tiny groups of partisan advisers. Read more PM to Canadians: You never write, you never call...By Kady O'Malley, Macleans' Magazine blog – February 6, 2009According to this chart, the amount of email received by the Prime Minister's office appears to have plummeted since 2007, when the Langevin mail server processed a total of 1,064,455 messages to Stephen Harper, to just 541,830 e-missives last year; the amount of “paper mail” and phone calls has dropped as well, although not nearly so sharply. Read more Canada and Track Two Diplomacy: Time to Get SeriousBy Peter Jones – February 4, 2009For many years, Track Two Diplomacy has been a quiet feature of international conflict resolution efforts. Canadians had been involved in some extraordinary Track Two projects. The North Pacific Co-operative Security Dialogue and Jerusalem Old City Initiative are two examples. Read more Where is Foreign Affairs?Embassy opinion – January 28, 2009If Canada has shrunk on the world stage over the past three years, there is the very real danger that trend will continue over the next year. Let's hope we're just reading this wrong. Read more The Top 50 People Influencing Canadian Foreign PolicyBy Lee Berthiaume, Embassy – January 28, 2009Embassy has compiled a list of the top players who have been identified as key to working on or influencing government policy when it comes to foreign affairs, trade, security, defence, development and immigration. Read more Back to top |
Useful Canadian Websites: Canada: Active in Sudan (Gov't of Canada) Embassy Newsweekly National Newswatch Amnesty International Canada STAND Canada blog Education for Change Blog Useful 2009 Canadian Publications: Canada in Sudan: War Without Borders A Development Strategy for Darfur: No Time to Lose Peacekeeping Operations in Sudan UNAMID peacekeeping mission to Darfur UNMIS peacekeeping mission to Sudan 2009 Reports of the UN Secretary General on Sudan International Crisis Group Report (July 17) UNMIS Report (July 14) UNAMID Report (July 13) Official Report of the Secretary General on Sudan (April 17) Children & Armed Conflict in Sudan (Feb. 10) UNAMID Report (Feb. 10) UNMIS Report (Jan. 30) STAND Canada's Darfur Digest: March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 Past Executive Summaries: Mar. 9 - Sixteen aid organizations expelled from Darfur Mar. 4 - President El-Bashir indicted by ICC Feb. 25 - Sudanese children in peril Feb. 20 - Qatar peace negotiations |
