world: SFSS prez to enlist municipal help for Darfur
Lien Yeung, Associate News Editor
In an effort to bring awareness to the conflict and tragedies occurring in the region of Darfur, Simon Fraser Student Society President Clement Abas Apaak and local activist Michael Hejazi will be bringing their campaign to the municipalities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody later this September.
As a part of the campaign, entitled Canadian Students for Darfur, Apaak and Hejazi's tour aims to bring Canadians and its government on board to help the victims of Darfur. They believe that by having the three municipalities as partners it will give them the necessary leverage to convince other cities in British Columbia of the importance of realising their humanitarian cause.
The CSFDarfur, founded by a group of students including many from Simon Fraser University, are intent on accomplishing three main goals. The first is to bring awareness to Canadians about the conflict in Darfur. According to the United Nations, it is estimated that 70,000 have already died as a result of the conflict between the Sudanese government and rebel groups. According to the CSFDarfur, the number may be as much as five times higher than that.
Another of their goals is to help raise $1 million in the next year for aid groups who are assisting the victims of Darfur.
"Every aid organisation working has said that there isn't enough, so we want to be able to help with the fundraising," said Apaak.
"As we know, about 2.5 million people from that region have been displaced and they now live in Chad - they all need help," he added.
Their third, and perhaps most significant objective is to have the Canadian government actively pursue a resolution between the government of Sudan and the existing rebel groups through the United Nations to put an end to the fighting.
"Both sides should sit down and negotiate a long-lasting political resolution because this is a political problem," said Apaak.
CSFDarfur has set up a public donation account at Scotia Bank accepting donations in an attempt to raise $1 million in one year. They have also made wristbands available by donation at SFU Burnaby's Quad Books and the SFSS general office.