By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 13 -- The
UN's new
report on
Abyei, to
become public
under symbol
S/2014/336,
again mechanically
paints a
picture of
widespread
violations by
both Sudan and
South Sudan,
in the shadow
of the crisis
in the latter.
To South
Sudan, the UN
report says
UNISFA Commander
Tesfamariam
and envoy
Haile Menkerios
went to meet
Salva Kiir on
February 25.
Kiir said his
government
would take
measures to ensure
withdrawal
from the SPLA
and SSNPS
forces by
March 10.
The report
continues that
"on 11 March,
with no
progress in
the withdrawal
of the SPLA
and SSNPS
forces," Tesfamariam
again went to
Juba. The
report does
not mention
Kiir.
There have
been more
agreements,
like the one
with Riek
Machar in
Addis putting
off elections
for two or
three more
years, since
the March 10
non-withdrawal.
But the UN
chugs along,
with a head of
UN
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
who refuses to
answer Press
questions on
any of this.
In its
previously
report the
UN's
all-Ethiopia
UNISFA mission
in Abyei
"observed the
presence
around 660
military
elements of
the SPLA and
South Sudan
National
Police
Service...
armed with
AK-47 rifles
and anti-tank
rocket
propelled
grenades; many
of them have
established
military-type
settlements,
including fire
trenches."
This of course
violates the
June 2011
agreement; the
UN adds that
it "poses
security risks
to Misseriya
nomads
migrating
through the
area."
Sudan, on the
other hand, is
reported also
violate the
agreement:
"Sudan oil
police
continued to
maintain
approximately
120 to 150
personnel
inside the
Diffra oil
complex in
northern
Abyei... about
30 Sudan oil
personnel were
observed in
the vicinity
of the Beer
Adrak oil pump
station and in
Mekines,
outside their
usual area of
deployment in
the Diffra oil
complex." What
now?
The last time
the UN
Security
Council
considered
Abyei, back on
November 25,
2013, Sudan's
and South
Sudan's
ambassadors
traded
speeches about
Abyei in the
Council, and
things got
personal.
While
the Security
Council urged
against the
unilateral
referendum
held in Abyei,
South Sudan's
Francis Deng
on Monday
praised it. He
said the
Miseriya had
been out of
the area "in
their own
homeland" 125
miles away
when the
referendum was
held.
Inner
City Press has
previously
reported that
Deng's family
comes from
Abyei, and
has questioned
if he owns
property
there. It
makes for a
more dramatic
story.
Sudan's
Permanent
Representative
Daffa-Alla
Elhag Ali
Osman took the
floor to say
Deng's speech
was against
the current
tenor between
Khartoum and
Juba, and was
based on
"personal
interests" and
not the
interests of
the whole of
South Sudan.
It's
rare these
days at the UN
for arguments
to turn
personal in
this way.
Relatedly,
some in the
Council note
that soon
after
Ambassador
Susan Rice was
promoted to
Washington,
there were no
more twice a
month meetings
on Sudan and
South Sudan.
In fairness we
report that
others say
that's a
coincidence.
Like Deng's
personal
story? Both
are
compelling.
Now on
February 26,
Daffa-Alla has
moved on from
his posting in
New York, and
it is reported
that Francis
Deng has been
recalled to
Juba. Watch
this site.
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