In
Darfur UN
Silent on
Copters,
Unaware of
Militia,
Checking on
Attacks on
Army
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 27 --
Again Darfur
must be
mentioned
alongside the
UN's failure
in Eastern
Congo, where
peacekeepers
under the
command of
Herve Ladsous
did nothing as
the M23
mutineers took
over Goma and
now other
towns.
While the
UNAMID mission
is ostensibly
less
identified
with the Sudan
government
than MONUSCO
is with
Kinshasa and
the FARDC,
still it
appears that
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations
said little or
nothing as
Sudan placed
limits on its
use of
tactical
helicopters.
And now it
emerges that
the
helicopters,
announced with
such fanfare
in 2010, have
more quietly
been removed.
Inner City
Press asked
about this at
Tuesday's UN
noon briefing,
with no
response as of
four hours
later.
It took DPKO
four days to
respond to
this Darfur
question which
Inner City
Press
submitted on
November 23:
"Please state
UNAMID's /
DPKO's
knowledge of
and if
applicable
action on
allegations
that North
Darfur
Governor Osman
Youssef Kibir
is forming a
private
militia."
On November
23, DPKO
spokesman
Kieran Dwyer
to whom it was
referred
responded, "I
am looking
into this."
Then nothing
on it until
November 27,
when another
DPKO spokesman
replied:
"Neither
UNAMID nor
DPKO have
credible
information at
this time
which
indicates that
the Governor
of North
Darfur has a
private
militia."
A
wag might
note, UNAMID
no longer has
tactical
helicopters to
even seek such
information.
Back on
November 24,
Inner City
Press reported
on "the
Sudan
Liberation
Army-Abdelwahid
Nur saying
they had taken
over an army
base near
Kebkabiya."
Now
on November
27, the UN has
sent Inner
City Press
this:
Subject:
Your question
on Darfur
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Tue, Nov
27, 2012 at
2:11 PM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[atinnercitypress.com
We have been
told that a
patrol from
UNAMID's
Kabkabiya team
site, located
approximately
140 west of El
Fasher, was
informed by
the local
population
that
unidentified
armed men
attacked a
Government
checkpoint on
the morning of
23 November.
The attack was
said to have
taken place in
Idianbak,
located about
40 kilometers
east of the
Mission's team
site.
Subsequent
information
relayed by the
local
Government
police
confirmed the
incident,
which
reportedly
killed 22
Sudanese
military
personnel and
injured four
others. No
civilian
casualties
were reported.
UNAMID's
Kabkabiya team
site is taking
action to
verify further
details.
The
actions taken
to verify will
presumably not
include
tactical
helicopter
flights. Watch
this site.
, 
