Action Alert
Mass arrests and public beatings have taken place in and around the Sudanese capital of Khartoum following an attack by Darfur rebels on May 10th. The rebel-initiated assault and government retaliation both raise serious concerns for the prospects for peace in Darfur. Furthermore, human rights and Darfuri groups are receiving reports of the use of torture and summary public executions against unarmed civilians in the capital, and the targeting of certain Darfuri ethnic groups.
Many Darfurians in Canada have heard about the disappearance or detainment of family, friends, neighbours and acquaintances from loved ones in Khartoum. They worry that Sudanese security forces will use torture against those in custody, as has been regularly documented in the past. There is widespread concern that civilians will bear the force of government retaliation, and that Sudan will use accusations of complicity in rebel attacks to escalate tensions with neighbouring Chad.
At this critical time, we are sending letters to each of Canada's Members of Parliament (MPs). You can make an important difference by making a phone call to your MP's office, and asking him or her to voice their concern to the Prime minister and within their party.
Read more about the recent violence
-Read the letter to Canadian Members of Parliament by the Darfur/Sudan Peace Network and the Darfur Association of Canada
-Read recent reports from The Sudan Organization Against Torture, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Aegis Trust.
Take action: Make a call to your Member of Parliament
Step one: Find your Member of Parliament by clicking here.
Phone calls are an extremely effective means of communicating with your MP. For every phone call received, MPs assume that hundreds of people feel the same way. Your concerns will be given more consideration by phone than by form letter or by email.
Step two: Call your Member of Parliament using the sample message below; or adapt the message as you wish.
Hello, my name is ____, and I live in the riding of ____. I am calling to leave a message for Mr/Mrs ____. The message is related to a letter your Ottawa office recently received by email from the Darfur/Sudan Peace Network and the Darfur Association of Canada, regarding the May 10th violence in Khartoum, Sudan.
I am troubled by the recent wave of violence in Sudan's capital, and particularly by violence against unarmed Darfuri civilians. Please ask Mr/Mrs ____ to work with fellow Parliamentarians to make peace in Darfur and all of Sudan a higher foreign affairs priority. It is also important that he/she call Prime minister Harper's Office to register his/her own concern.
Canada must loudly and consistently condemn the use violence by all parties to the conflict, especially when it targets civilians, and actively work to secure commitments from armed groups to resolve the crisis by peaceable means. In particular, the Canadian government must work more closely with the international community to ensure the peacekeeping mission to Darfur is fully deployed as soon as possible. Could you please pass on this message to Mr/Mrs ___?
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