Lord Jim of Dilling - Diplomat Magazine

sudan|Di spatchesChroniclesof a Canadianin SudanBy James Parker“Hail the lowly Dung Beetle of the Sudan.It pushes its miniature version of Mother Earth around as erratically as its human counterpart.”– Lord Jim of Dilling Townf one were to look up ‘dichotomous’ in the dictionary, the definition could simplybe a map of Sudan, and a big map it would be, as this country is the size ofOntario and Quebec combined. Never was there ever a more happy-sad, hopefuldespairing,poor-but-with-potential, beautiful-but-parched, smiles-through-tearscountry in the world.And to top it off, the number of ‘players’ in this African country is mind-boggling.There’s the government of northern Sudan and its troops, which is supposedto govern the whole. There is the government of the south, the Janjaweedmilitia. There is the Sudan People’s Liberation Army troops along with theirpolitical arm, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. There is Muslim versusChristian, nomad versus nomad, nomad versus farmer, tribalism, invading forces(such as the Lord’s Resistance Army from the Congo, and the People’s DefenceForce from Uganda.) Finally, there are the NGOs, China and, just to give the stewmore flavour, the United Nations.diplomat and international canada 17