UN
Confirms
Banning from
Sudan of
Whistleblower,
Darfur
Violence,
NGO Moves On
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
Dec 27,updated
Dec. 28, below
-- The day
after the UN was
asked to
confirm
that and
explain why
one of its
staff members
serving in
Darfur was
told not to
return,
the UN
provided
confirmation
but did not
address
the allegation
that senior UN
management, to
retaliate
against the
staff member's
complaints of
harassment,
suggested the
expulsion to
the
government.
This being a
gaping
loophole to
the UN's
supposed
protection of
whistleblowers,
the issue will
continue to be
pursued.
On
the morning of
December 26,
Inner City
Press sent
questions to
the Office of
the
Spokesperson
for Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, to
two spokesmen
at
the UNAMID
mission in
Darfur, and to
UNAMID leader
Ibrahim
Gambari,
including
"beyond
Friday's
still
unanswered
questions
about bombing
and fighting
in
Darfur, on
deadline, this
is a request
for UNAMID /
UN
confirmation
or denial that
UNAMID staff
member [ ] has
been told by
UNAMID not
to return to
Sudan, from
which she is
on leave,
because the
Government of
Sudan has said
she should
leave the
country in 72
hours.
Separately
please confirm
or deny that
[the staff
member] has
complained of
harassment by
senior UNAMID
management,
and respond to
charge that
this and the
aforementioned
barring from
Sudan are
connected."
Gambari
quickly
replied to
Inner City
Press that "I
am not
currently in
the
Mission area
but my
colleague as
the OIC and
our colleagues
at HQ can
respond
competently
and adequately
to your
questions."
From
"HQ,"
the spokesman
for
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous
replied
that "I
will not have
an update for
you today, but
will make
contact with
you
tomorrow."
The
following
day, Ban's
spokesperson's
office sent
this:
"In
response
to your
questions,
DPKO advises
the following:
"UNAMID
Staff
Member
Designated
Persona Non
Grata
"With
regard
to the UNAMID
staff member
referred to by
Inner City
Press,
the Sudanese
Ministry of
Foreign
Affairs
informed
UNAMID on 18
December that
the staff
member had
been
designated
persona non
grata.
The staff
member was
outside of
Sudan at the
time and
remains so.
UNAMID has
called on
Government
officials to
provide an
explanation
for the
decision. The
Mission takes
incidents
involving the
expulsion
of staff
members
without
following due
process very
seriously and
is
protesting the
matter with
the
Government.
The staff
member
continues
to work for
UNAMID outside
of Sudan. We
do not have
any more
details
to share at
this stage."
This
answer
entirely
dodges the
second part of
the question,
to "confirm or
deny that [the
staff member]
has complained
of harassment
by senior
UNAMID
management,
and respond to
charge that
this and the
aforementioned
barring from
Sudan are
connected."
The
staff member,
who we are
still leaving
unnamed, was
moved out of
Sudan to
Entebbe
in Uganda, a
logistics base
overseen by
the former
head of UN
procurement,
who left amid
controversy
and scandal.
We will
continue
to follow up
on this.
Also
on December
27, the UN
belated
answered
questions
Inner City
Press posed at
the
December 23
noon briefing.
From the UN's
December 22
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: there
are reports by
the, I guess,
newly-formed
Revolutionary
United Front
that the
Sudanese army
is bombing in
North
Darfur and
also they are
fighting in
South Darfur,
and I have
seen
that… I see
these daily
[African
Union-United
Nations Hybrid
Operation in
Darfur] press
releases, but
they don’t
seem to
acknowledge
this fighting.
Is it not
taking place,
or are they
not
going out to
verify it, or
they are just
not putting it
in the
statements?
Spokesperson:
Which fighting
are you
referring to
particularly?
Inner
City
Press: Bombing
in North
Darfur
described by
the spokesmen
of the
Revolutionary
United Front,
and also an
announcement
by LJM that
they
themselves are
fighting with
the Government
in South
Darfur.
Spokesperson:
Right, okay, I
will check
with our
colleagues.
Having
gotten no
answer, Inner
City Press
reiterated
these
questions on
December 26.
Later that
day, the
spokesman for
Peacekeeping
chief Ladsous
said he
still would
not answer
that three day
old question.
On December
27,
this was
provided:
"In
response
to your
questions,
DPKO advises
the following:
Reports of
Fighting
"In
relation
to the
question about
recent reports
of fighting in
North
and South
Darfur, UNAMID
has verified
several
reports of
troop
movements and
clashes
between SAF
and armed
movements in
North Darfur
in recent
days. These
include
clashes
between
Government and
movement
forces in the
Malha and Um
Kadada areas.
In addition,
the Mission
has
received
multiple
reports of
armed faction
convoys moving
in the
Muhajeria,
Shaeria and
Yassin areas
in South
Darfur. The
Mission is
verifying
these reports.
UNAMID has
increased
patrolling in
these
areas and has
called on the
parties
involved to
avoid
hostilities."
While
other
bombings have
been reported,
if the UN was
aware of and
had
"verified"
armed conflict
in Malha and
Um Kadada
areas, why
is this no
included in
the UNAMID
"press
reports" sent
on,
which are
replete with
happy talk
about how
great UNAMID
is doing?
Watch this
site.
(c)
UN Photo
Gambari
claps,
replies,
Ladsous
smiles, runs -
like 1 NGO?
Footnote:
Given
the above
armed conflict
confirmed even
by UNAMID, to
say
nothing of the
continuing
bloodbath in
Southern
Kordofan and
Blue
Nile, some
were surprised
today to see
the following
tweet
from Sudan
Now
@SudanActionNow,
self described
as
"challenging
the [Obama]
Administration
to fulfill its
promises for
strong and
immediate
action in
Sudan" --
"We’re
moving
into a new
phase of
advocacy for
Sudan so this
week will be
the last that
SudanNow will
be posting."
Is
this the time
to stop
challenging
for "strong
and immediate
action in
Sudan"?
Is there some
other
explanation?
We hope so and
will hope to
hear, and will
keep
digging on all
fronts. Watch
this site.
Update
of Dec 28, 2
am --
we're
told that "@actforsudan
will continue
to
challenge the
Obama
administration
for strong and
immediate
action in
#Sudan."
, 
