One of the "Global Elders" show backbone? Sorry, false alarm!

I blogged back in July about the formation of the "Global Elders" a group set-up by Nelson Mandela of "12 wise men and women" to address global problems by offering expertise and guidance.

An AP Headline gave me some hope that at least one of the Global Elders might have managed to grow a backbone, the headline was "Jimmy Carter faces down Darfur officials". Wow Jimmy Carter stands up to a Muslim government, now that would be worth a headline. Unfortunately the article itself reports a different story.

Here's the story
"KABKABIYA, Sudan - Former President Carter got in a shouting match Wednesday with Sudanese security services who blocked him from a town in Darfur where he was trying to meet with refugees from the ongoing conflict. ...

“You can’t go. It’s not on the program!” the local security chief, who only gave his first name as Omar, yelled at Carter, who is in Darfur as part of a delegation of respected international figures known as “The Elders.”

“We’re going to anyway!” an angry Carter retorted as a crowd began to gather. “You don’t have the power to stop me.”

“I’ll tell President Bashir about this,” Carter said, referring to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir."

Well done that man, you tell then Jimmy...


"Carter later agreed to a compromise by which tribal representatives would be brought to him at another location later Wednesday. But the refugee delegates never showed up."

A compromise that meant the local Muslim officials got exactly what they wanted, I wonder what fate befell the refugee delegates?


Well done Jimmy, you are as effective as you ever were.