Tutu, Carter, other 'elders' visit Darfur

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu led a group of "elder" statesmen into Sudan's embattled Darfur region Tuesday to discuss stabilizing the situation.

Tutu was accompanied by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Graca Machel, the wife of South African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela and veteran U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, the BBC reported.

The group met with Sudanese government officials Monday in Khartoum, and afterward, Tutu cautioned against too much optimism being placed on the visit.

"The Elders do not want to raise anyone's hopes during this visit," he told reporters.

Plans for Tuesday included talks with tribal leaders in the region where scores of militias with shifting allegiances have killed at least 200,000 people in the past four years. Another 2 million people have been displaced.

The fighting was originally based on black tribes resisting the Arabic government, which has been accused by observers of arming militias. Battle lines have since blurred and rights observers say many small militias appear to be seizing villages and land.