As
Kiir Moves on
Bentiu and
Machar Accuses
Uganda, Ban Praises
Them
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 28 --
Amid reports
of attempts to
"retake Bentiu"
and to
re-retake Bor
in South Sudan,
and after Riek
Machar accused
IGAD-member
Uganda of
bombing troops
loyal to him,
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon issued
this
statement:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Sat, Dec
28, 2013
at 11:10 AM
Subject: UN
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon on
the
outcome of
IGAD Summit
Statement
Attributable
to the
Spokesperson
for the
Secretary-General
on the
outcome of
IGAD Summit
The
Secretary-General
welcomes the
outcome of the
Intergovernmental
Authority
on Development
(IGAD) Summit
held on 27
December,
appointing a
mediation team
to work with
the Government
of south
Sudan and
opposition in
reaching a
cease fire,
the release of
the
detainees and
building
toward a
process of
peaceful
dialogue.
The
Secretary-General
commends IGAD
for its work
and offers his
full
support to
this process.
The
United
Nations stands
with the
people of
South Sudan
and will
continue to do
everything
within its
means to
protect
civilians at
risk and
provide
necessary
humanitarian
assistance.
All
violence,
attacks and
human rights
abuses must
end
immediately.
The
Secretary-General
reminds those
responsible
that they will
be held
accountable.
He calls on
the Government
and all
concerned to
ensure
the rights and
security of
civilians are
protected.
New
York,
28 December
2013
It
sounds fine,
but what about
Bentiu? What
of Machar's
allegations
against
IGAD-member
Uganda? As set
forth below,
what about the
areas
including in
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo from
which
peacekeepers
are being
withdrawn?
And, in light
of Ban's
spokesperson's
apparent
selective
pre-distribution
of a Ban
statement
about Japan,
South Korea
and China to
some media 13
hours before
others,
did this one
similarly go
out in stages?
While
the UN has
refused to
answer Press
questions
about the
foreseeable
impacts of
moving
peacekeepers
out of
the Eastern
Congo, Darfur,
Abyei and even
Cote d'Ivoire,
on December
27 it uploaded
to YouTube a
video
featuring 72
Bangladeshi
UNPOL
peacekeepers
arriving in
South Sudan
from now
less-protected
by
unspecified
parts of the
DRC.
The
Bangladeshi
move, approved
quickly by
prime minister
Sheikh
Hasina
whom the UN
has purported
just a week
before to be
pressuring for
flexibility in
upcoming
elections,
was meant to
show how
seriously
the UN takes
the protection
of civilians.
But what is
being left
behind in the
Congo? Why not
answer that
question? See
longer form
analysis on
Beacon Reader,
here.
The
UN Security
Council, whose
president for
December
Gerard Araud
told
Inner City
Press that the impact
of the
shifting of
peacekeepers
had
not been
discussed,
was slated to
here from the
UN's envoy to
South
Sudan Hilde
Johnson on
December 27.
But that
session was
canceled,
so that
Johnson could
go to the IGAD
meeting in
Nairobi and
presumably
make Salva
Kiir's case.
Now
it is
re-scheduled
for 10 am on
December 30.
At least the
Council is
meeting on
South Sudan --
with 11
peacekeepers
killed this
month in
Central
African
Republic,
the Council
barely meets
on it.
France's
president
Francois
Hollande and
UN Secretary
General Ban --
location
undisclosed --
had a
telephone chat
and different
read-outs
on December
27. Hollande
said he wants
the UN to play
a more
important role
(read, pick up
the slack,
save the
bacon, cut and
run)
and Ban
Ki-moon
promised to
consult with
the Security
Council on the
coming days.
But
where is
he? The UN
will not say,
despite a
request from
the Free
UN
Coalition for
Access.
This, the UN
tries to erase
-- or Ban --
from
its
transcripts,
click here for
that. Now,
Ban's
spokesperson
gave some
media a
statement on
Japan, South
Korea and
China between
7 and 8 pm on
December 27 --
then emailed
it to others,
including the
Press which
has earlier
asked about
the tensions,
a full 13
hours later.
And so it goes
in Ban's UN.
Watch this
site.
, 
