In
Sudan,
UN Is Accused
of Flying
ICC-Indictee
Haroun, Before
Ladsous 1st
Trip
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 16, updated
Oct 18
-- At least twice before
its mandate
expired on
July 9, the UN
Mission in
Sudan
transported
Ahmed Haroun,
indicted by
the
International
Criminal Court
for war
crimes, to
Abyei in UN
helicopters.
Now
even with
UNMIS
ostensibly
gone, the
Sudan People's
Liberation
Movement -
North has
expressed
concern that
UN helicopters
which are not
even supposed
to still be in
Sudan have
been used to
transport
Haroun over
its frontlines
to Talodi
town.
The
concern was
raised in a
letter from
the SLPM -
North to the
UN, a copy of
which Inner
City Press
obtained and
then in
fairness
sought UN
comment on,
before now
putting online.
More than 42
hours have
passed without
the UN
providing any
substantive
response to
this troubling
allegation.
The
SPLM
- North letter,
as provided to
the UN,
states:
"SPLM/A
-
North in South
Kordofan is
concerned
about reports
of UNMIS
flights from
and to Kauda,
Talodi, Jalud
and Kadugli.
According to
UNMIS own
schedule of
pulling out,
the mandate
was supposed
to expire on
the 31st of
August, 2011
or by the
first week of
September.
"As
we
are seeking
your
clarifications,
our fear and
concerns
remain that
your flights
are
facilitating
Gov. Haroun's
movements
across SKS and
within SPLA's
frontlines.
Recently it
was reported
on the the
national media
Gov. Haroun's
recent visit
to Talodi
town. We have
observed no
Sudan Armed
Forces
helicopters
flying to
Talodi; the
only ones we
saw were the
UN
helicopters.
So we presume
Gov. Haroun
flew to Talodi
in one of the
UNMIS
liquidation
team
helicopter.
"Therefore,
SPLM/A-N
looks forward
to your
clarification
and feedback."
On
October 14
Inner City
Press wrote to
the UN
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations for
some response
to or comment
on the letter
from the SPLM
- North,
particularly
in light of
new DPKO chief
Herve Ladsous'
upcoming trip
to Sudan and
South Sudan,
"on deadline"
requesting
"DPKO's
response
to concerns
about it
transporting
ICC indictee
Haroun,
including but
not limited to
Talodi as
alleged in the
attached
SPLA/M-North
letter."
Even
though
Saturday and
Sunday are
working days
in Sudan, DPKO
responded that
"On
your
first question
about the
transportation,
I am seeking
further
information in
order to be
able to
respond but
given the time
on a Friday
evening I do
not expect to
have anything
before
Monday."
Inner
City
Press also
asked, "what
is the status
of the UNMIS
liquidation,
in light of
the
allegations in
the letter?"
Response
to this too
was put off:
"Equally, on
the precise
stage of the
liquidation
process, I
need to get
further
information
from the field
and even when
your email
came in it
would have
been too late
today to get
this."
But
Ladsous was
asked at his
belated
October 13
press
conference
about the
stage of
liquidation.
It would seem
that DPKO,
with a
multi-billion
dollar budget
and over
100,000 armed
troops in the
field, should
be able to
answer this
question, at
least in 40
hours.
Ladsous &
Ban Ki-moon,
response to
SPLM-N not
shown
Inner
City Press
also asked:
"what
type
of
investigation
of the June 8
Kadugli
incidents is
the UN calling
for? By whom?
When? Who were
the commanders
of the
Egyptian
peacekeepers
there that
day, and are
or will they
work again in
UN
peacekeeping
missions?"
The
first part of
this question
was dodged,
with the same
approach
employed by
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman; the
second part,
tellingly, was
ignored:
"In
relation
to what kind
of
investigation
the United
Nations is
calling for, I
refer you to
the August
report of the
Office of the
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights."
The
current UN
preaches
intermittently
about
accountability
-- mostly be
others -- but
does not
impose it on
its own
officials or
peacekeepers.
If and when
responses are
received they
will be
reviewed and
presented.
Watch this
site.
Update
of
Oct 18, 12:50
pm -- four
days after the
questions were
asked, the
UN proffered
responses to
some but not
all of them:
"I
have
received
further
information
from our
liquidation
team on the
ground in
Sudan on this
matter. The
UNMIS
liquidation
team has not
flown Governor
Haroun on its
helicopters.
The
liquidation
process
continues, in
accordance
with the
timeline
agreed with
the Government
of the
Republic of
Sudan."
And
what about,
regarding the
murders in
Kadugli in
June in front
of UN
peacekeepers
-- "Who
were the
commanders of
the Egyptian
peacekeepers
there that
day, and are
or will they
work again in
UN
peacekeeping
missions?"
Watch this
site.
, 
