|
|
 ماذا قال هاشم بدر الدين للصحافة الكندية ... فى ختام الرالى لوقف الابادة الجماعية فى دارفور
|
The time for quiet diplomacy to solve the problems in the Darfur region of Sudan has passed, according to speaker after speaker at a rally on Parliament Hill last Sunday.
Indeed, it was a call to arms, with many people demanding Canada play a much bigger role in ending what the United Nations has described as genocide and the worst ongoing humanitarian crisis in the world.
Despite the gravity of the situation, only 2000 people showed up in the sweltering heat to greet Cornell University Professor John Weiss, as he got off his bicycle and climbed the steps in front of the Peace Tower to address the crowd.
Mr. Weiss had cycled 960 kilometres from his home in Ithaca, New York to Ottawa to raise awareness of the dire situation in Darfur and to present the Canadian government with a petition.
Independent MP David Kilgour, a long- time human rights advocate, accepted the petition. He also started the rally off by asking for a moment of silence for all the victims in Darfur and for John Garang, Sudan's vice-president who was recently killed in a helicopter accident.
Mr. Weiss called for the prime minister to accept the recommendation from the International Crisis Group that the global community immediately deploy a military force of sufficient size, with adequate resources and the mandate to protect the civilian population in Darfur.
"We have come with a special sense of urgency because, as 10,000 people per month die in refugee camps or in hiding, the Canadian people are being led down a primrose path a path lined with the bodies of Darfuri individuals," said Mr. Weiss, standing in front of a large banner that read: Ride Against Genocide. "Peacekeeping is not social work, it is social work backed up by a credible threat of quickly administered and efficient force."
While Mr. Weiss praised the Canadian government's decision to lend the African Union 105 armoured vehicles and support, he and others clearly felt the situation called for a much greater response.
Justin Laku, a 30-year-old Sudanese national now living in Ottawa and founder of the group Canadian Friends of Sudan, told a harrowing story of his visit to his homeland last April.
"The janjaweed (militia) stole food and water from us at the checkpoints before they let us in the camps," said Mr. Laku. "No one would talk to me; they were too afraid."
Six women from one refugee camp were brave enough to speak out. They met with Mr. Laku clandestinely in a hotel. All of them said they had been raped by the janjaweed.
Mr. Laku also called for more international involvement and an enhanced mandate for the African Union peacekeepers. "All they can do is document what is going on. They cannot detain or arrest anyone," he said.
Listening to the speeches was Hashim Mohamed, a member of Sudan People's Liberation Movement. "The magnitude of the problem demands an international force," Mr. Mohamed said. "Sudan needs a new democratically-elected government. I would like to see the Canadian government put pressure on the United Nations to do more. We believe the African Union is not adequate to do the job."
Tragi Mustafa, a Darfuri-born refugee now living in Hamilton, Ont., implored the crowd to take action. "Please honest people, send international troops now," she said. "No more Rwandas; no more Holocausts."
Dr. Richard Sribnick traveled all the way from South Carolina to participate in the rally. He was clearly disappointed in the poor turnout. "In the time we have been here making speeches, more people have died in Sudan than attended this rally," Mr. Sribnick said.
He also challenged the entertainment community to do their part. "When will we hear the songs about this horror? Write the songs and we will sing them with you," he said.
Ottawa's diplomatic community was represented at the rally. MC Brodie Osome acknowledged representatives from Austria, Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Libya and New Zealand. The Sudanese embassy declined to comment on the rally
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
هاشم نوريت
Tragie Mustafa
hamid hajer
فيس بوك
تويتر
انستقرام
يوتيوب
بنتيريست