As the world marks the 20th anniversary of the mass atrocities of the Rwandan genocide, during which 10,000 people were slaughtered each day, a take-note debate was held in the House of Commons on what is currently happening in South Sudan, and what more Canada could do to respond.
During the debate, the major political parties agreed that violence in South Sudan is escalating; that civilians have been targeted on the basis of their ethnicity and nationality; and that the UN Mission for the Republic of South Sudan, or UNMISS, is facing challenges to protect civilians, particularly, women and children, outside their bases.
The parties also agreed that South Sudan is a level three humanitarian emergency; 923,000 people have been displaced within the country, and 300,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries. Funding remains inadequate, famine is probable, and with the rainy season imminent, the situation will only get worse.
But parties disagreed about how to respond. The Government focused on its record of humanitarian aid given to date, its maternal, newborn, and child health initiatives, engaging the private sector to provide aid, and the need for a South Sudan-led solution. Opposition parties asked questions about child protection, medical needs, responsibility to protect, and famine prevention and response.
I asked eight questions during my speech and another fourteen questions of Parliamentary Secretaries and Government Members during the subsequent debate. I received no answers.
I now put forth my questions from debate in writing with the hope that someone from the Government will respond. Canadians deserve to know what their Government plans (or refuses) to do.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary (for Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights) think that UNMISS is capable of fulfilling its mandate to protect civilians from ethnic cleansing? What more could the international community do to enhance UNMISS' capabilities? What role does the Government see for the Responsibility to Protect? And will Canada join in, in enacting sanctions against key individuals fueling the violence?
Will the Government support a more robust role for UNMISS as the mission's mandate is being reviewed? Will the Government consider providing additional funding to humanitarian partners if the needs on the ground continue to increase? What actions will the Government undertake to ensure that humanitarian partners are able to operate independently of the military and political mandates of UNMISS?
Will the Government send a high-level Canadian Government representative to South Sudan (and/or in coordination of other international actors as part of a delegation) to demonstrate that Canada is taking the conflict seriously, and will not accept the status quo?
Will the Government encourage the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict to travel to South Sudan, and will Canada request a report to the UN Security Council on the situation of children in South Sudan?
Will the Government consider increasing support to UNMISS beyond its assessed and voluntary contributions to the UN to protect civilians, especially women and children, from violence? How will the Government adjust and renew its longer-term development programming?
How does the Government envision its role in bringing parties back to the negotiation table under IGAD? How will the Government respond to influx of refugees from neighbouring countries?
Will the Government encourage other donors to step up their funding for South Sudan, respond to changing needs on the ground, and call on all parties for unimpeded humanitarian access so that aid organizations can reach the children in need?
I will add one last question: Norway will host a donor conference for South Sudan in May. Will the Government of Canada participate and at what level?
Canadians should remember this important point: nobody can claim that we did not know what was happening in Rwanda twenty years ago. We knew, but we did not act.
The international community is struggling to find a coherent way to respond to a rapidly deteriorating and changing context. It is essential to remember lessons learned from earlier crises, to act immediately, and at the scale necessary to prevent a much larger disaster.
Canada must remain engaged to keep South Sudan at the forefront of international attention.
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