Johannesburg, Sep 18 (DPA) The Elders, a group of influential activists and former world leaders established with the aim of tackling some of the world’s “most intractable” problems, is set to cut its teeth on Darfur, according to a BBC report.
Popular South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu will lead a delegation from the elite group launched by Nelson Mandela in July on his 89th birthday, to the troubled Sudanese province at the end of the month, the report said Monday.
Members of the Elders will travel to the Sudanese capital Khartoum first to meet leaders from across the political spectrum. They will then visit Darfur to meet community leaders and people living in camps for the displaced.
“We want the suffering to end and we hope to contribute to that,” Tutu, one of six Nobel Peace Prize laureates in the Elders, was quoted by the BBC as saying.
“We want community leaders in Darfur to feel that they have been heard by us. And to the extent that we could then communicate their aspirations, their longings, particularly the women’s groups, we will do so,” he added.
As they “do not have careers to build, elections to win or constituencies to please, the Elders could become a fiercely independent and robust force for good, tackling complex and intractable issues especially those that are not popular,” Mandela said when launching the group.
Tutu and Mandela’s wife Graca Machel will be among the Elders embarking on the Darfur mission.