Misuse of the name of the South Sudanese Association in Calgary in an unsanctioned Rally

UNCHR Canada
Calgary Chapter
Associate Executive Officer: Rada Krnjaja-Howe

The purpose of this letter is to address the recent misuse of the name of the South Sudanese Association in Calgary in an unsanctioned March 24, 2014 rally in downtown Calgary. This rally was against the UNMISS operations in South Sudan. The views expressed in this protest do not reflect the views of the South Sudanese Association in Calgary, but rather the misuse of the name of our association by individuals of the Dinka nationality supporting the ongoing genocide of Nuer civilians in South Sudan.

We the South Sudanese Association in Calgary wish to express our deepest gratitude to the UNMISS and UNCHR for their operations in our native South Sudan. UN food aid, education, and resettlement programs have helped save and improve the lives of countless thousands. Since the December 15, 2013 wave of ethnic cleansing began, UNMISS compounds in the capitals of Unity State, Upper Nile, and Jongeli: Bentiu, Malakal, Juba and Bor, have served as the sole refuge for civilians fleeing government sponsored door to door raids on the Nuer ethnicity. To date an estimated 6,500 men, women and children have lost their lives. Outside UMISS walls Nuer civilians have been subject to firing squads. Many of these individuals were distinguished professionals: Civil Servants, Jurists, and Doctors. Among them, University of Calgary graduate Doctors without Borders MD, Dr. Thomas Lul, killed February 13, 2014 in a government sponsored raid. Sadly, his death has been incorrectly reported as a casualty of crossfire by South Sudan state sponsored media.

As of January 31st an estimated 84,000 civilians have taken shelter in UNMISS compounds across the country. That number is set to grow as fighting continues. What is more, as a result of the prolonged fighting, US Aide estimates 695,000 people have been displaced and a famine for the 2014 year now looms over the affected Nuer areas of Unity and Uppernile State as farmers cannot plant. In the ongoing genocide, the presence of the UNMISS is vital to the preservation of human life in South Sudan.
We sincerely thank you for your organization's presence in South Sudan and encourage your organization to strengthen current operations to the goal of preserving and improving the lives of the South Sudanese people.

Sincerely,

Lam Wour

The author is deputy Secretary of the South Sudanese Community in Calgary and graduate from faculty of sociology at Mourn Royal University