On
S.
Sudan Referendum, EU Countries Behind on Funding Pledges, Speak of
Delay
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 5 -- With shooting and kidnappings continuing in
Darfur, the Sudanese government has reportedly taken to conditioning
medical care in Khartoum to those from South Sudan upon their voting
for unity and not separation in the referendum scheduled for January
9.
Inner
City Press
asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky about this and kidnappings in
Darfur on November 5 and was, again, promised future answers.
Meanwhile, Inner City Press got a read out of which countries have
actually followed through on their pledges to the Basket Fund for the
referendum, and which have not.
Sweden
has
pledged $6.76 million but has so far given nothing.
Likewise, there
has been no follow through yet on these pledges: European Union $4.23
million, Denmark $3.38 million, Australia $2.69 million.
The UK
remains $3.87 million short of its pledge.
France has not paid
ANY of
the mere $600,000 it pledged.
One
wonders what
these countries, which say the referendum is so important, are
waiting from. Privately diplomats from several of these countries
tell the Press that the planned South Sudan referendum will nearly
certainly have to be postponed, and that their work consists of
trying to convince the South Sudanese not to then go ahead and hold
their own referendum.
They also
express concern that once Khartoum
learns they are okay with a date later from January 9, the new date
will become a new target to go past and delay.
In S. Sudan, UK PR, France DPR, follow through on
funding not yet shown
Here
is the table
of pledges and actual contributions to the Basket Fund for the south
Sudan Referendum, followed by the UN's transcript of its November 5
noon briefing:
|
No.
|
Donor
|
Amount
($ million) Committed
|
Amount
($ million) Received
|
|
1
|
Netherlands
|
$14.00
|
$7.00
|
|
|
|
2
|
Norway
|
$4.78
|
$4.78
|
|
3
|
Canada (CIDA)
|
$6.86
|
$6.86
|
|
4
|
Sweden
|
$6.76
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
European Union
|
$4.23
|
|
|
6
|
Japan
|
$8.17
|
$8.17
|
|
7
|
DFID
|
$11.63
|
$7.76
|
|
|
|
8
|
Denmark
|
$3.38
|
|
|
9
|
Australia
|
$2.69
|
|
|
10
|
France
|
$0.60
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
$63.10
|
$34.57
|
Source: UNDP response to Inner City Press 11/10
question
UN's
transcription
of its November 5 noon briefing:
Inner
City
Press: there are also these reports of three pilots from a
Latvian helicopter company working for WFP [World Food Programme]
that have been taken hostage. Can you confirm that? And there seems
to be some unclarity about what country they are from or who took
them. What’s the UN going to do?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, I can confirm that three crew members working for the
United Nations Humanitarian Air Service contracted to the World Food
Programme, as you mentioned, were abducted in Nyala town on Thursday.
They are all Latvian nationals and are helicopter crewmen. And we
don’t have any more information at this point.
Inner
City
Press: Thanks. The SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement]
is saying that… they have come out with an allegation that
Southerners who live in the North are being told, in Government
medical facilities, are being told they’ll only get medical
treatment if they vote for unity. I wonder if it’s something…
it’s in the Sudan Tribune and I am assuming elsewhere. I am
wondering if that’s something… I guess that would be an UNMIS
[United Nations Mission in Sudan] issue, or perhaps… whether the UN
system is aware of that allegation, what they think of it, if it is
true and what they are doing to find out if it is true?
Spokesperson:
Well, at the very least, if they are reading the Sudan Tribune like
you, they will have seen the same reports and I would assume that
they are doing so. We will need to check whether they have further
information that was not in this Sudan Tribune. But, I don’t have
that right now.
Inner
City
Press: Okay. No, no, I mean I am pretty sure they would be
aware of this, I just wonder if this is the type of thing that they
feel a duty to investigate to see if it’s true or to make some
statement about.
Spokesperson:
As I say, let’s first establish what they know about it.
We'll
see. Watch
this site.
* * *
As UN Confirms 2 Dead,
28 Wounded in Darfur, Nothing on Journalists's
Arrest
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November
4 -- As killing in Darfur escalates, the UN stays
several days behind, belatedly reporting on November 4 on a deadly
November 1 attack outside Tawila, and then only because asked.
On
November 3 Inner
City Press asked
why
the UNAMID mission had not spoken about the
second deadly attack near Tawila. Hours later, the UN said it was
investigating. A source asked Inner City Press, what's to
investigate, since the UN has a peacekeeping base in Tawila itself?
As
it turns out,
the UN did know what happened. On November 4 spokesman Martin Nesirky
read a statement that on November 1, unidentified gunmen attacked two
vehicles, resulting in two deaths and 28 wounded who were taken to an
MSF clinic in Tawila. Eight of the more serious injuries were
transferred to a hospital in El Fasher, which is UNAMID's base.
But
why didn't
UNAMID just routinely report this? Similarly, Jaafar al-Sibki the
Darfur reporter for
the Sahafa daily newspaper in Sudan was arrested by authorities, but
UNAMID and UN had no response except to point to UNAMID's belated
statement about a radio station's closure.
While
the UN -
African Union mediation in Doha has now been suspended until mid
December, the UN had no statement on that either on November 4.
IDP in Tawila, UNAMID not shown
The
Doha
process does not include the supporters of Fur rebel Abdel Wahid
Nur, nor the Justice and Equality Movement. The one group it does
include, the Liberation and Justice Movement, has a leader who was a
UN staff member at least until March 8, 2010, then (the UN says)
resigned. We'll have more on this. Watch this site.
From
the
UN's
November
3
transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
on
Sudan, I wanted to ask you two factual things. There
are reports that at least eight people injured in Tawilla, where
there is a peacekeeping base, have been taken to the hospital in El
Fasher. I haven’t seen anything by UNAMID [African Union-United
Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur]; I’m just wondering if it’s
possible to get… whether UNAMID can confirm that this attack took
place, who they think did it? There are also reports of the arrest
of the leader of a refugee camp, Al Salaam in North Darfur, by the
authorities. And I’m wondering, again … these things build up,
but whether UNAMID can confirm these two incidents, and also, if
these things are true, why these things are not being said in some
way by UNAMID? And I know you may say “ask them”, but I’ve
asked them and I’ve received nothing in return.
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
We
will
ask them. All right, thanks very much. Good
afternoon, everybody.
[The
Spokesperson
later
added
that we are aware of these reports and are
investigating them. UNAMID is concerned about heightened military
tensions on the ground. There have been other incidents recently.
UNAMID calls on all parties to refrain from the use of force.]
, 
