By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 24 --
What
about a
referendum in
Abyei? When
the UN
Security
Council
meeting
Thursday on
Sudan and
South Sudan
broke up,
Inner City
Press asked
Azerbaijan's
Agshin
Mehdiyev, the
Security
Council's
president of
October, if
there had been
any discussion
of the idea of
holding the
referendum
now.
Mehdiyev
answered that
the statement,
or elements to
the press,
which he had
just read out
to an
otherwise
empty media
stakeout
contained the
answer: no,
the Council is
not in favor.
Inner
City
Press has
obtained the
agreed-to
elements to
the press,
here they are:
The
members
of the
Security
Council
reiterated
their grave
concern about
the highly
volatile
situation in
Abyei area,
and urgently
called on all
concerned to
refrain from
any unilateral
action that
could heighten
tension or
impede a
solution.
The
members
of the
Security
Council
welcomed the
22 October
Summit between
the Presidents
of Sudan and
South Sudan,
and the
commitment
again by the
two Presidents
to proceed
expeditiously
with
establishment
of Abyei
Administration,
Abyei Council
and Abyei
Police
Service.
The
members of the
Council recall
their decision
in resolution
2046 that the
parties must
resume
immediately
negotiations
to reach
agreement on
Abyei final
status under
the auspices
of the AUHIP.
The
members of the
Council
expressed
support for
the African
Union Peace
and Security
Council visit
to Abyei on
26-27 October
and urged both
communities to
use this visit
as an
opportunity to
ease tension.
The
members
of the Council
looked forward
to hearing
from the AUPSC
regarding its
findings and
to advancing
the Parties’
efforts to
peacefully
resolve their
differences.
But
what about the
people trying
to return to
Abyei to vote,
reportedly
left under
insufficient
sheet plastic
without enough
mosquito nets?
Inner
City Press
asked the UN's
special
rapporteur on
the human
rights of
internally
displaced
persons
Chaloka Beyani
about the IDPs
in Abyei. He
said that in
his visit to
Sudan, he had
not been able
to visit
Abyei,
Southern
Kordofan or
Blue Nile
states due to
security
concerns; he
will soon
travel to
South Sudan.
Inner
City Press
asked him
about
accountability,
including for
UN
Peacekeeping,
for the
killing of
IDPs in
Nahibly camp
in Cote
d'Ivoire. He
said the
government had
said it will
prosecute but
he had no
information
that it has --
rather like
the assurances
UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous
accepted from
Congolese
authorities
about the 135
rapes at
Minova by
their forces.
A year
ago, to the
day, Beyani
told Inner
City Press
that the
UN
Peacekeepers
at Nahibly did
not shot to
protect
civilians,
since the
attackers were
not an army,
but other
civilians.
With
Ladsous in DRC
using attack
helicopters
and devoting
UN resources
to support
France in
Mali, while
not protecting
perceived
Laurent Gbagbo
supports in
Cote d'Ivoire,
one has to
wonder what
has become of
UN
Peacekeeping
under his
tenure.
To
return to
Abyei, what is
the result of
the promised
investigation
into the
killing of the
Paramount
Chief of the
area, which
Ladsous' DPKO
promised? What
is it? Ladsous
will not
answer: video
here, UN
coverage
here. Is
this the UN,
on UN Day?
Watch this
site.
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