Darfur

Glen Pearson leaves for Africa with much on his mind.

Glen Pearson returns from Africa with a challenge for pretty much everyone.

A report published Wednesday alleges the widespread enslavement of non-Arab men, women, and children in Sudan’s Darfur region by the Sudanese army and its Janjaweed militia allies. The report by the Darfur Consortium also documents the spreading nature of the violence, as ethnically cleansed non-Arab villages Darfur are populated by Arab nomads from Chad, Niger, Mali, and Cameroon. I reported on this trend two years ago while on assignment in eastern Chad, a no-man’s land bordering Darfur.

Before Question Period each day, 15 minutes is set aside for MP’s to stand and deliver short statements on whatever subject they wish to speak to. Usually this involves expressions of concern for international events, commendation for local charities, or reference to legislative matters. It is, at least in theory, the House’s one forum through which individual members can speak of their own volition, irrespective of ongoing debate or strict party interest.