Lord Jim of Dilling - Diplomat Magazine

24 serving as United NationsMilitary Observers. Our job asUNMOs, known on this missionby the acronym UNMIS(United Nations Mission inSudan) is different frombeing peacekeepers. It is,simply, to interpose ourselvesbetween the armiesof northern and southernSudan. We are unbiased, neutralobservers and essentially wereport what we see up the chainto various headquarters of theUN. This could be infractions ofthe comprehensive peace agreementas signed by both sides inthe UN-brokered peace agreement.It could be security assessments ofvillages in our zones that are havingproblems with nomads or soldiers.The Canadian team, two of whom arereservists, receive another two-and-a-halfweeks of training at UN headquartersin Khartoum. Much of the curriculumwe’ve already done at the peace supporttraining centre at CFB Kingston. Tryingto stay awake (while gettingover jetlag, acclimating to theheat and being bereft of TimHorton’s coffee) is almost impossible.I am to be deployed toDilling, a town in the state ofSouth Kordofan which is tothe north of the artificial demarcationline drawn after thesigning of the peace accord.The significance of this is thatSouth Kordofan is in the northbut allied with the south, makingit a primarily Muslim stateallied with a mostly Christiansouthern Sudan. While most ofour members are deployed tovarious team sites around thesouth, my Canadian colleague,Lieutenant (Navy) Janan Sutherland, and Iare going to Dilling.The town itself has approximately30,000 people and is centred around alarge outdoor market, with stalls, shopsand homes made of straw, bits of tin, burlap,plastic and rough brick made from thered earth that is everywhere. It all seemsrather temporary with only the mosquesgiving any impression of permanence.Our UN camp is on the outskirts andconsists of 50-60 metal containers ratherlike sea containers all in nice militaryrows and, fortunately, air-conditioned.Approximately an acre or two in size, sursudan|Dispatchesfrom the military observer course atCFB Kingston and, in typically militaryfashion, wait.Ifind out I am to deploy toKhartoum in April and all thepaperwork and kit accumulationbegins. Piles and piles of both.I’ll not recreate the stress of fillingout diplomatic paperwork, gatheringesoteric equipment forhot, austere climates, packingand bending over for moreneedles than acupuncturistsgive their sickest patients.Needless to say, Darfurit is true that Canadianmilitary members arriveat their destinations as thebest equipped and trainedin the world. All the aforementionedis done under theauspices of the Canadian ExpeditionaryForces Command. This isthe military organization responsiblefor all Canadian Forces activityoutside Canada. (The entity responsiblefor military units in Canada isCANCOM.)My story tries not to be amilitary or political tale. Thefollowing accounts are takenfrom The Dung Beetle Diaries,my journal that I – surprisingly– kept religiously during mytime in Africa. Often rough,emotional and clearly written onthe spur of the moment, it is agrunt’s view. I doubt my viewsand experiences are unique. All30 or more of my Canadian colleaguesin Sudan would havesimilar stories to tell. My photographsare the same, mostlyrough and unskilled. OccasionallyI capture some unique momentsjust from sheer volumeof shots. Picture-taking in Sudan is a riskall its own, as it is illegal to take photoswithout a permit.April 26, 2008The landingOfficially known as Lieutenant(Navy) Jim Parker, I stand atop theplane’s stairs leading down to thebaking tarmac at Khartoum InternationalAirport and wonder whether to turnaround, get back in the aircraft and returnto Frankfurt. It is hot. The people look anddress differently than they do in VictoriaSUDANDillingSouth Kordofan2005ComprehensivePeace AgreementlineKhartoumand there is no ocean in sight. What thehell have I gotten myself into? However,with the fortitude and determinationtaught to me by the Canadian Forces andinherent in my character, I wipe the sweatfrom my brow and climb down the stairway.The adventure begins.Operation Safari is Canada’s militaryparticipation in southern Sudan throughthe United Nations and is currently inits fourth year. Like other missions, theRCMP, Canadian International DevelopmentAgency and Foreign Affairs areinvolved on the civilian side. It has approximately34 members with aboutdiplomat and international canada19