217-255 Donald Street
Ottawa, ON K1K 1N1
December 15, 2014
H.E Mr. Stephen Harper,
The Prime Minster of Canada
80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Your Exercellency,
Dec 17, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — We the South Sudanese Canadian Peace Advocate Group commemorate the December 15th by peacefully demonstrating outside your office. In our hundreds, we brave this winter day’s cold to bring to your attention the severity of the conflict in South Sudan on 3.8M South Sudanese in the Greater Upper Nile Region who are faced with a looming famine. We recognise Canada’s position in the international community as a greater force for the good of humanity.
Your Excellency, today we remember this dark day in the history of South Sudan when the president of South Sudan ordered his presidential guards to massacre more than 27,000 Nuer mostly women and children. The international human rights organisations have reports documenting specific details of how this chilling, gruesome onslaught was carried out on the orders of the President.
The Diaspora South Sudanese, particularly in Canada and the United States of America have been affected severely by the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. Our relatives and countrymen have been subjected to an unimaginable suffering causing mass displacement and death. Today we stand before the Parliament, the very institution that have stood and continue to stand for peace and democracy in the world.
Your Excellency, it was just yesterday (July 9, 2011) that the world celebrated and welcomed the newest country into the world with pledges to nurture her to maturity. Unfortunately, the country that has taken the South Sudanese and the world 21 Years to build took only ONE DAY for the president and his guards to destroy.
We want to highlight and bring to your attention some points on the humanitarian situation, peace fragility, in South Sudan. There are widespread reports of the government executing unarmed civilians based on their ethnicities. On august 4, 2014 five aid workers working for Norwegian People’s Aid were executed in Maban County simply because they come from the Nuer tribe.
On April 17, 2014 the UNMISS camp in Bor town sheltering Nuer civilians was attacked by the government soldiers disguised as youths. They massacred more than160 unarmed women and children on the watch of heavily armed UNMISS soldiers.
Presently, there are more than 450,000 registered refugees in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan. More than 3.8M in the greater Upper Nile Region are faced with a looming famine amidst of dwindling UN humanitarian food supplies. South Sudan government continue to disrupt aid transport through humanitarian corridors. Up to 1.4M internally displaced persons across South Sudan. Also, Cholera, and malaria continue to compete for increase in human suffering. On April 2014 over 4 600 cholera cases were reported, including 106 deaths. It is now a rainy season where women and children are living in flood waters swamped by malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Your Excellency, we want you to know that while the international community is calling for more funds to be directed on humanitarian aid, South Sudan government spent $1B to buy new weapons from China. They also spent $20 million to build a structure by the Chinese with a cigar deck on the last floor.
Our Proposal
Canada, should strengthen the role of the IGAD by more involvement and by vitalizing the IGAD Partners Forum and the involvement of International Mediation Centres. This is in addition to financial and technical support for the IGAD led peace process. IGAD has failed to bring peace in South Sudan simply because:
- a) The IGAD countries are not competent in solving their own problems as the same countries score high in corruption indexes, dictatorships, and underdevelopment. Some of the presidents are war criminals wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
- b) Uganda is supporting the government in the ongoing campaign to promote ethnic cleansing. Uganda claims they are preventing genocide from happening when they are the ones committing genocide. One other country in this category is Rwanda. They have sent contingent force armed with arsenic weapons and jet fighters.
- c) IGAD Envoys are not impartial. Some members own companies awarded lucrative business contracts by South Sudan. This is in addition to representation of their countries’ interests.
- d) IGAD in its founding principles has no mandate to intervene militarily into internal affairs of member countries.
- e) IGAD with their weak mandate failed to impose necessary measures on Uganda for not withdrawing its forces. Uganda continue to commit atrocities including the use of outlawed cluster bombs.
Canada should take the initiative at the UNSC to bring to justice the culprits who committed genocide and crimes against humanity.
The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various UNMISS camps have been massacred in Bor on April 17, 2014. More than 160 civilians were massacred. Other camps have been subjected to constant threat of massacre. We ask Canada to use their influence at the UNSC for the repatriation of the internally displaced persons in UNMISS camps across South Sudan to their respective areas of origin and choice.
We ask Canada to direct and supervise aid from Canada to the needy masses of South Sudan. It is sad and unfortunate to learn that your government has placed restrictions on aid agencies and instructed them not to provide aid in the States of Upper Nile, Jonglei, and Unity. These are the States in dire need of help. There are ways to have safe access to the needy.
Your Excellency, we in the diaspora have lost faith in the presidency of South Sudan. President Salva Kiir lost legitimacy on December 15, 2013 when he ordered his presidential guard to kill members of the Nuer tribe. We request your abled office to take leadership and increase your influence to help South Sudanese secure a lasting peace.
Thank you
Mr. Paul Galuak (613) 260 0684
For the Organising Committee
- Mrs. Daya Batim (613) 709 3278
- Mr. Adea Chol (613) 413 2627
- Ms. Nyachan Thach (613) 400 2480
- Ms. Elizabeth Bol (613) 260 7108
- Mrs. Rebecca Nyakong Chuol (613) 260 0684
- Mr. Peter Keak (613) 712 5758
- Mr. Collins Kepa (613) 600 2684
- Mr. Simon Deng (613) 778 8635
- Mr. Cyrill Garang (613) 912 5035
