291er said:
I highly doubt we'll be sending much of anything to Darfur...
... That being said, we probably SHOULD send atleast something to Darfur to help out...
... But who knows....stranger things have happened.
Have no fear! We're deploying the ... PM to Sudan ... (?)
Martin heading to Sudan
By BRIAN LAGHI
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041102.wmarty1103/BNStory/National/
Ottawa â †Prime Minister Paul Martin will consider touring a refugee camp in Sudan as part of a visit to the strife-torn country this month, sources say.
Mr. Martin's office confirmed yesterday that he will add the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to an already lengthy itinerary that includes visits to Chile, Brazil and Burkina Faso.
Scott Reid, a spokesman for the Prime Minister, said that Mr. Martin wants to meet with Sudan's leaders to urge them to make good on their commitment to do everything possible to secure peace in the country.
"Unimaginable suffering has occurred and the weight of direct appeals from G8 leaders is needed to help advance the cause of peace," Mr. Reid said. He refused, however, to comment on reports that the Prime Minister was considering a visit to one of the refugee camps.
Mr. Martin spoke yesterday with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who encouraged him to make the trip, as did British Prime Minister Tony Blair when the two leaders met last month. Mr. Blair is one of the few other heads of government to have made the trip.
The Prime Minister had already been scheduled to attend a summit of francophone countries in Burkina Faso, a meeting of the organization on Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation in Chile and to make an official visit to Brazil. After discussing the issue with a delegation from the European Union late last month, Mr. Martin decided to add Khartoum to his travel plans.
About 1.5 million people have been driven from their homes in the Darfur region of Sudan. Sources said Mr. Martin is considering a visit to one of the camps that houses displaced persons.
Yesterday, the Sudanese army and police surrounded several refugee camps in the war-torn region of Darfur and denied access to humanitarian groups, the UN said. The Sudanese government denied that its security forces blocked access to the camps but said angry Arab tribesmen have gathered in the area.
The UN World Food Program said three camps were surrounded â †apparently in retaliation for the abduction of 18 Arabs by Darfur rebels â †and that it was forced to pull 88 relief workers from those areas.
The WFP fears the government may force people from the camps back to their home villages, where there is less protection from government-backed janjaweed militias that have been attacking towns, spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume said.
Last month the UN health agency estimated that at least 70,000 people have died since March from poor conditions in the camps and warned that more will die unless countries provide more money.
Rebels in the country say the government is backing a group of Arab militias who have burned and looted villages with non-Arab inhabitants. Both sides also say the other has broken a UN ceasefire.
Mr. Martin's visit might be part of a growing movement to apply high-level pressure on the country's government. Pressure to resolve the conflict has grown as the humanitarian difficulties get worse.
The UN Security Council is to meet in Kenya next month to discuss the situation.
Canada has already promised $20-million to support of the African Union to resolve the conflict. Mr. Reid said the Prime Minister has resolutely backed the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect; a set of guidelines that obliges other nations to intervene when foreign administrations refuse or are unable to protect their own people.
Recent articles looking at the current crisis in Sudan
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041102.wmarty1103/BNStory/National/
Civilians set on fire in Darfur, report says Attack carried out by Khartoum-backed militia, African Union observers say
In Darfur, security is paramount When it comes to dealing with Sudan, STEPHANIE NOLEN finds, diplomacy can yield very little
African Union troops arrive in Sudan Hostile reception greets soldiers assigned to protect ceasefire observers
Sudan pays for ignoring prophet
Jeneina offers displaced a haven from war Host families stretch meagre resources to shelter desperate Sudanese refugees
Disaster in Darfur: 'This isn't the worst I've seen' Remote region is the latest stop for relief worker who has seen humanitarian crises unfold around the globe, STEPHANIE NOLEN reports
Into the heart of janjaweed territory The mysterious Arab horsemen were fast and fierce and carried Kalashnikovs in their saddles. But were they the feared rebel fighters? STEPHANIE NOLEN followed them to find out
Rape fear traps women in 'concentration camp'
'The Hero' of Darfur lifts spirits at camp
A new peril, this time from the sky Hunkering down in teeming rain that hits almost daily, STEPHANIE NOLEN wonders how Darfur's refugees will last the season
In fetid camps of Darfur, refugees need to know world is watching ANALYSIS: The UN gave Khartoum 30 days to solve the crisis, and it has done almost nothing. Now the international community must respond, STEPHANIE NOLEN writes
U.S. finds 'genocide' in Darfur Bush's use of politically charged term could spark international action on Sudan