Cameron in Darfur

The Telegraph reports on David Cameron's Darfur visit here.  Click on the WebCameron video below to watch David Cameron and Andrew Mitchell describe what they learnt from their visit.

Comments

[Ismail]

I wish Tim you would stop posting clips and articles of DC in Darfur. It is really sick and quite disgusting of him to exploite the suffering of the Darfur people for his own political gain. Lets be honest, DC can't do anything to solve the crisis in Darfur. His job as opposition leader is to pressure Blair & Co. to force the members of the security council in the UN to send in a humanitarian force in Darfur. The title of your previous article on DC's visit to Darfur says it all on what he is trying to achieve from his visit to Darfur - 'Hello, it's David Cameron calling from Sudan.'

[Umbrella Man]

It is your views that are disgusting Ismail. I hope you are never in a situation where you need a politician to be a champion for your plight.

[wasp]

Being cynical is easy.

[Ismail]

We all know whats happening in Darfur, we don't need DC to take a round trip to Darfur, and planting a tree to offset the costs of "climate change" to tell us about it. Sorry for not being political correct "Umbrella Man" (if that is your name) in trying to mince my words of what DC is doing in Darfur, I'm just telling it like its is. You should just have to look at the video clips and newspaper articles in understanding what he is trying to do. He could use his time more wisely if he was pressuring the government in doing more to solve the crisis in Darfur, which he isn't doing at the moment. All he's telling Blair & Co. these days, is to "hug a hoddie" and give drugs to druggies.

[Richard]

I can't see how anything short of military action will solve this problem. After the debacle that was Iraq and the flawed expedition that was Kosovo, we had better be able to persuade both the British public and world opinion that we can get it right this time. If Cameron can do that then good luck.

There's nothing wrong with him highlighting this but the planting a tree thing just looks far too much like a photo-grabbing gimmick. Maybe if he'd actually put himself in danger people might be more impressed.

[EML]

How can Cameron properly pressure the Government into doing something if he doesn't find out more about the problem? The way he can do this properly is to go there and find out from first hand experience.

[Ted]

Must admit I had doubts about this visit - there is always the photo-op element but against that there is the coming face to face with the reality of refugee camps. The crowding, poor sanitation, smell, poverty, fear and hope.

Reality doesn't come across in a BBC news item, with Fergal Keane emoting his report. David Cameron will understand better as result of his visit, a few more people will think of Darfur and maybe a little more progress will be made. Even if it was, as Ismail claims, only a photo op - photo ops publicise causes and victims as well as the subject, that's why charities appoint stars as "ambassadors'. A good thing to do.