Singer Agnes Chan said she had witnessed first-hand the hardships faced by displaced persons in Sudan's war-torn Darfur following a three-day tour of the region.
"The trip was very emotional to me," said Chan, a major celebrity in Japan, who visited the region in her capacity as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
"All people spoke from their hearts," she told reporters, referring to some of the estimated 2.4 million people displaced by over two years of conflict between government forces and ethnic minority rebels in the region.
Chan said the goal of her visit was to try to help "raise the awareness of the Japanese people about the tragic situation in Darfur and thus raise the funds needed by UNICEF for the purpose."
