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The Minister of Foreign Affairs released a statement yesterday deploring the recent increase in violence in Darfur (more on this to come soon). In the meantime I encourage all readers of this blog to take a moment to write a letter of gratitude to the Minister at Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca. One of the best ways to build momentum on this issue is to show that there is a large mass of people who care about it when the government takes actions like this. Below is the text of the statement and a possible letter.
Canada Deplores Upsurge of Violence in Darfur
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement regarding the recent upsurge in violence in Darfur:“Canada deplores the increased violence in Darfur. Military activities conducted by the Government of Sudan and by Darfur rebel forces are seriously undermining prospects for peace in Sudan and impeding humanitarian efforts in the region. Their actions threaten the lives of thousands of innocent civilians.
“Canada also notes that the Government of Sudan has not implemented the ceasefire it announced in November. We call on the government and all rebel forces to cease hostilities and to resume the negotiation process led by the United Nations and the African Union.
For information on Canada’s contribution to establishing long-lasting peace in Sudan, please consult the following website: www.canadainternational.gc.ca/sudan-soudan/index.aspx.
Possible Letter:
February 3, 2009
Re: Minister's Statement on Darfur
To the Honorable Lawrence Cannon,
I am writing to express my sincerest gratitude for your remarks deploring the recent upswing of violence in Darfur. The wording of your statement reflects both the seriousness of the situation and the responsibility of all parties to cease hostilities and protect civilians.
The ongoing violence in Darfur and deplorable humanitarian conditions is a blight on our common humanity. While your statement condemning the violence is a strong step in the right direction, I urge you also to consider other possible options such as appointing a Special Envoy to the region.
I applaud your efforts to end the violence and look forward to hearing more from you in the future on this vital issue.
Sincerely,
[enter name here]
Stand-Canada
[Address]
[Any other info - phone number, email, etc.]
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4 comments:
I have written an open letter to Minister Cannon on behalf of Stand's network of high school chapters across the country.
The voice of the Canadian student will be heard!
And here's the letter! It was sent to Minister Cannon today around 2 30 pm.
To the Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
I have the privilege of representing the voices of students at over 50 high schools across our country, and I am writing to express our sincerest gratitude for your remarks deploring the recent increase of violence in Darfur. The wording of your statement reflects both the seriousness of the situation and the responsibility of all parties to cease hostilities and protect civilians.
The ongoing violence in Darfur and deplorable humanitarian conditions is a blight on our common humanity. While your statement condemning the violence is a step in the right direction, we urge you to consider other possible options. By appointing a Special Envoy to the region Canada can lead in the facilitation of peace negotiations between rebel factions and the Government of Sudan.
We urge you to breathe new life into the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect. The R2P is a stepping stone in the move from responding to genocide to preventing it.
Sudan has manifestly failed to protect its civilians. It is Canada's responsibility to uphold the values of human rights, to support the principles of international law, and to stand for the protection of civilians from war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. It is our collective responsibility to protect Darfuri civilians to ensure that "Never Again" indeed means "Never Again".
We urge you to stand with us for Mariam Harun, who was shot to death in her village by the Janjaweed militia. Stand with us for Kaldoum Mohammed from the village of Tabarabi, who was beaten to death as her husband watched, and for Ahmed Ishaq, who was taken away after a Janjaweed attack and has never seen from again. Stand with us for every name and every story, for all Darfuri people whose voices have been silenced, whose human rights have been violated, and whose lives have been taken.
I applaud your efforts to end the violence and look forward to hearing more from you in the future on this vital issue.
With hope,
Evan Cinq-Mars
Great letter, Evan! Thanks for posting.
Great letter, Evan! Glad to see that our neighbors from the North taking action for Darfur. Now if the Minister can put those words into action...
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