Sudan
Killing in Kordofan, & UN Inaction, Detailed in UN
Report, Online
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 20 -- Amid Sudan's slaughter in Southern Kordofan despite
UN peacekeepers being there, inaction by the Egyptian contingent of
the UN Mission in Sudan has been the subject of increasing shock and
disgust.
On
July 20 after trying to ask
UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon about it when he took questions about climate change at the
Security Council stakeout, Inner City Press asked
Ban's spokesman
Martin Nesirky about the "leaked" report,
particular these sections in
paragraphs 42 and 29:
42.
On
8 June, UNMIS Human Rights witnessed the movement of four armed
men (two armed civilians and two Central Reserve Police) carrying
weapons in and out of the UNMIS Protective Perimeter without
any intervention from the UNMIS peacekeepers guarding the premises.
The
armed men conducted identity checks on the IDPs. Eyewitnesses
interviewed reported that the armed men abducted three IDPs from the
vicinity of the UNMIS Protective Perimeter on suspicion that they
were supporters of the SPLM.
29.
On
8 June, an UNMIS independent contractor (IC) was pulled out of a
vehicle by SAF in front of the UNMIS Kadugli Sector IV Compound in
the presence of several witnesses, while UN peacekeepers could
not intervene. He was taken around the corner of the compound and
gunshots were heard. Later he was discovered dead by UNMIS
personnel and IDPs. Several sources confirmed that the victim was an
active SPLM member.
Earlier
this month
a Dutch court said that immunity was no defense to the liability of
peacekeepers for deaths in Srebrenica. These descriptions - in the
UN's own report -- non “intervention” by UN peacekeepers echo
that. Inner City Press is putting the report
online, here.
UN
spokesman
Nesirky said in response that the above-quoted report “ has
not yet
been finalized.”
Ban, Nesirky, Nambiar & Orr, action on UN inaction not shown
Inner City
Press asked
if it would be edited by
the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations:
Inner
City
Press: I’m looking at this, the UNMIS human rights report
about Southern Kordofan and it’s beyond what is being sort of
reported publicly, it has a paragraph very specifically saying on 8
June UNMIS human rights witnessed armed people coming in and out of
the UNMIS protection perimeter without any intervention from the UN
peacekeepers guarding the premises. The allegation is that the
Egyptian peacekeepers of that unit were either sided with the
Government or chose to not act. And what I am wondering is, if,
since this is the UN’s own report, what’s the next step? Is the
Secretary-General going to order some kind of an inquiry?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, first of all, as you well know, the report has not
yet been finalized, and Mr. Šimonovic' made that quite clear when he
spoke to you here the other day. That’s the first point. The
second is that we’re extremely concerned about the allegations that
are out there, including those that have been brought to light in the
report, which is not yet finalized. So, I think we need to ensure
that that report goes through the right procedure before more details
are given on that. But suffice it to say that many people within the
UN community, from the Secretary-General down, are extremely
concerned about the alleged incidents that there have been and the
reports that we are hearing.
Inner
City
Press: The one thing I wanted to know is, it seems from the way
Mr. Simonovic said it, that this joint reporting to the Office of the
High Commissioner on Human Rights and to DPKO, so, since the
allegation, at least the one that I just read out, is against DPKO,
what’s their role in editing the finalizing report?
Spokesperson:
Well, I think let’s be really clear, there is nothing unusual in
that arrangement. Wherever there is a mandate within a peacekeeping
mission mandate to look at human rights, there should be a human
rights component — in other words, people who deal with that. And
of course, as Mr. Šimonovic' explained, there is a dual reporting
role. A report of that nature of course will need to be seen by the
principals concerned in the Office and in the Department. And that’s
normal procedure.
Inner
City
Press: When you’re saying it’s finalized, it describes
things that happened on a particular day. Is there some idea that
this will be changed in a final report?
Spokesperson:
I do not know what the final version will look like. But as you all
know, this, the document that has been circulated, or rather leaked,
is not the final version. And it is still in the process of being
finalized. But as I have said, it is already clear that there are
very serious allegations out there, not just in the report that’s
being talked about and which Mr. Šimonovic' spoke about at some
length the other day, but more generally. And those reports are
alarming and we’re extremely worried about them, the
Secretary-General included.
Some
wonder why, if
Ban Ki-moon is so extremely worried about this, he did not mention or
take any questions on it on July 20 outside the Security Council. The
numbers of executed are high. Here is another paragraph:
28.
An
UNMIS staff member who was detained by SAF at their military
facility in Umbattah Locality reported during his detention, that he
saw over an estimated 150 dead bodies of persons of Nuban descent
scattered on the grounds of the military compound. Some of the bodies
appeared to have bullet wounds and he reported a large quantity of
blood on the ground. He reported a SAF soldier told them that they
had all been shot dead.
In
the face of
this UN reporting, why stand on the principle that the report “is
not finalized?” We will pursue this. Watch this site.
, 
in