As
UN
Confirms
Darfur Rape, Council Claims IDP Camp Arrests “Addressed”
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January
5 -- Sudan will be the issue most frequently
discussed by the UN Security Council in January, but the
deteriorating situation in Darfur is becoming an afterthought with
very little follow-up.
The
month's
program of work was confirmed Wednesday by Council president Ivan
Barbalic of Bosnia, with three days of briefings about Sudan,
beginning January 6 with a briefing by Benjamin Mkapa and the UN's
Haile Menkerios, who on New Years Eve praised Omar al Bashir for his
“courage” and leadership.
That
Bashir
is
under indictment for genocide and war crimes in Darfur did not seem
to be of concern to Menkerios or the UN Secretariat, whose spokesman
Martin Nesirky on Wednesday spoke of the release of a kidnapped UN
peacekeeper in Darfur “courtesy” of Bashir's government.
Nesirky
also
belatedly
answered a question Inner City Press had been asking since
last month, about two
reported rapes by Bashir's forces in Tawila,
near UN peacekeepers under Ibrahim Gambari's command. Nesirky
issued
a long read out, concluding that one rape was been verified -- but
not two! We will have more on this.
In Darfur, protection and follow through not shown
Inner
City
Press
asked Barbalic about Bashir's arrest of three people who met with the
Security Council delegation to Darfur in October 2010, of which
Barbalic was a part. While Barbalic paused to say how moved the visit
had made him -- he said “we can only cry aloud permanently” -- he
claimed that the arrests have somehow “been addressed.” Video here.
That is
not the case.
We
will follow all
three Sudan briefings at the Council -- but will Darfur remain just
an afterthought? Barbalic said that Southern Sudan and Darfur are
connected. Most recently, Salva Kiir of the SPLM has reportedly
agreed to push all Darfur rebels -- and refugees? -- out of South
Sudan. Watch this site.
* * *
UN
Refuses
to
Confirm Darfur Rapes After 11 Days, Speaks Only of South Sudan
Referendum Off the Record
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January
4 -- Eleven days after reported
rapes
by Sudanese
government authorities in Tawilla right next to peacekeepers of the UN
- African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur, the UN in New York
still
refused to deny or confirm and explain inaction on the rapes.
The
rape took
place on Christmas, after which Inner City Press asked UN spokesman
Martin Nesirky repeatedly about the incident. No answer was provided
then, nor at the first in person press briefing since Christmas, on
January 4.
Inner
City
Press
asked again, citing a report now
in
the UN's own ReliefWeb site. That's another one you asked the
previous week, Nesirky said, as if
that were responsive. He said he would revert “when we get an
answer.” Video here,
from
Minute 34:50.
But
one would
assume that the UN's $1 billion UNAMID mission, headed by Ibrahim
Gambari, would be able to answer an e-mail from Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman in less than eleven days.
Some
surmise
that
the UN is looking away from abuses in Darfur in order to focus on the
referendum in Southern Sudan, on which the UN has scheduled a press
briefing for January 5 by two officials who will refuse to let their
names be used.
Ban's envoy
for
the referendum Haile Menkerios on New Years Eve on the record praised
the “courage” and leadership of Sudanese president Omar al
Bashir, whose forces are accused of the rapes the UN has refused
for
11 days to confirm.
Likewise,
Nesirky
and
his deputy Farhan Haq have refused to confirm or deny that Ban's
Department of Political Affairs told NGOs that, among other things,
they do not expect results from the referendum until February 2.
“When we get
an answer,” Nesirky said on January 4, cutting off
the question. So does DPA not answer Nesirky's calls?
UNAMID views Darfur from APC, rapes not shown or
confirmed
Or is
this all
a ruse not to answer simple factual questions that the UN deems
inconvenient, such as about rape right next to UN peacekeepers in
Darfur?
In
front of the
UN Security Council on January 4, a diplomat of a Permanent Five
member stopped to tell Inner City Press that while the Council will
meet at least three times about Sudan this month, “the outstanding
issues are more important than the referendum itself.” Watch this
site.
* * *
On
Sudan,
UN
Ends
2010 in Dream World on Darfur & Rape, Praising
ICC-Indicted Bashir's "Leadership" & Courage
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
31
-- The UN
in
Sudan
is living in a dream world.
As President Omar al Bashir ended participation in the Darfur peace
talks in Doha, UN
envoy
to
Sudan Haile Menkerios praised Bashir's
“courage” and leadership.
The
joint UN -
African Union
mediator Djibril Bassole issued a UN
propaganda
statement about the
Doha process, entirely ignoring Bashir's move and the facts on the
ground.
Inner
City
Press
asked
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman about reported
rapes
near
UN
peacekeepers in Darfur and was told to just “ask UNAMID.”
But ever
since Inner City Press in October with the UN
Security Council visited the Joint UN
- African Union Mission in Darfur inquiring about UNAMID's Ibrahim
Gambari's moves to hand five supporters of Fur rebel Abdel Wahid Nur
over to Bashir, that Mission has refused to answer any
of the questions Inner City Press has submitted.
Meanwhile
Ban's
spokesman
has
simply ignored and refused to acknowledge receipt of
this question:
On
Sudan,
please
confirm
or deny that the Department of Political
Affairs in a recent briefing to NGOs said that
UN
projects
no
consolidated
results before end Jan – result likely to
be announced February 2.
Major
technical
challenges
now
are training staff, deploying materials, and
being ready to handle results management (this is still a serious
risk because little done to prepare for results period)
Probability
of
extension
to
polling remains high
UN's Ban & Bashir, amid praise of "courage,"
rapes & answers not shown
Arab
League
visit
to
Sudan (Qaddafi and Mubarak) - castigated Bashir,
pretty clear now that LAS will not try to spoil what is almost
international consensus on recognition - there is even talk they will
offer an independent S. Sudan membership in the LAS.
Bosnian
Presidency
likely
to
take cues from US and UK.
Ban's
Spokesman's
Office
has
now twice ignored this question about statements that NGOs
have to Inner City Press attributed to Ban's DPA. The UN tries to
live in its own world about Sudan. But in 2011, this will be more
difficult. Watch this site.
, 
