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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A

UNITED NATIONS GATE, January 16 – Before UN official Mohammed Ibn Chambas' Press-less appearance at the UN Security Council stakeout on January 10, he met not only with Secretary General Antonio Guterres but also Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed, who rarely attends such meeting if not about her country, Nigeria. On January 15, Inner City Press asked Guterres, Mohammed and their spokesmen: "January 15-1: On Nigeria, please state the UN's knowledge and action on the attack that reported killed at least 10 civilians and set many houses and a UN compound ablaze in Rann, Borno State." There was no answer at all. Now on January 16 this from MSF: "After a nonstate armed group attacked the town of Rann, northeastern Nigeria, on January 14, thousands of people are fleeing across the border to Cameroon, without food, water or shelter, and many are in a state of shock because of the violence, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today.     An MSF team is providing food, water and emergency medical care to people arriving by foot in the Cameroonian border town of Bodo, roughly four miles from Rann.     "Our team in Bodo estimates that some 8,000 people arrived yesterday, and we expect several thousand more may come today," said Hugues Robert, MSF program manager for Nigeria. "We are preparing to assist 15,000 people with food, water and medical care over the coming days. Many were in a state of shock and were clearly distressed by what they had witnessed. Now they have lost all that they have and need absolutely everything."     Near Bodo, many people have spent last night outdoors as there are no shelters. There are children and many breastfeeding and pregnant women among them.     Rann, a town held by the Nigerian military, has been heavily affected by the conflict in northeastern Nigeria in recent years. MSF has been providing primary health care in Rann and responded to a cholera outbreak in November 2018, carrying out preventive activities in the community and treating 55 patients in its cholera treatment unit.     Many parts of the town of Rann were burned during the attack, including houses and shelters, the town market and food stores. An MSF warehouse, office and pharmacy in Rann were looted and burned to the ground. Empty boxes of medical supplies were lying scattered on the ground outside.     "This is truly devastating for the people in Rann,"said Robert. "They suffer endless violence. And now they have to get back on their feet once more. How many more times is this possible? The people of Borno continue to pay the price for this merciless conflict. All the warring parties must respect the safety of civilians."     An MSF nurse, Isa Sadiq Bwala, who visited Rann yesterday to assess medical needs, reported that most residents had fled to Bodo, yet some remained. He provided the following account:     "What struck me when we arrived was the silence. Usually Rann bustles with life, but yesterday it was eerie and quiet, like a graveyard. Usually kids run around and play, but yesterday the only ones I saw were standing around quietly, looking anxious. The town has been devastated and I was devastated to see it. Many parts of the town have been burnt. There was still smoke drifting in the sky and the fires were still burning in places. I met a woman who was just back from the burial of her elderly mother, who had died inside her burning home. She burnt to death inside because she couldn't escape the fire.      "MSF's base, office and pharmacy have been burnt to the ground. All that's left are piles of ashes. When I arrived, the tent where we store our equipment was still on fire. The buildings of other humanitarian organizations have also been looted and burnt. Luckily, all of our staff from Rann are safe. Several have fled to Cameroon, along with the majority of the population of Rann.     "We evacuated one man with a gunshot wound. I was told that other people had been injured too, but it seems they have left for Cameroon. I saw a long line of people leaving for Cameroon—women, children and men, of all ages. Some had donkeys but many were just carrying their belongings. The ones I spoke to said they were leaving because they were too afraid to stay. There is not much left for them to stay for anyway: their homes are gone, and I don't know what they would live on. The market was burnt and looted— food stores also. There is nowhere to get food from. People who don't have any food at home will not be able to get any more." On January 11, after being banned from asking Chambas any questions, Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, Mohammed and their spokesman Stephane Dujarric questions including " January 11-3: On Nigeria, since Inner City Press was banned from the stakeout by SRSG Chambas yesterday, what is the UN's and SG's position on the (lack of) compliance with human rights by troops of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army in so called Operation Python Dance III a/k/a Egwu Eke III? Again, state why DSG Amina Mohammed was at the SG's meeting with Chambas but not at other meetings with SRSGs, and her and the SG's position on President Buhari having a relative by marriage on the Electoral Commission."  But hours later there was no answer at all, despite the promise by USG Alison Smale to UNSR David Kaye that such questions would be answered. Today's UN is corrupt. On January 10 inside the Council, after Chambas glossed over the denial of democracy in for example Togo and prospectively in Nigeria, Germany's Deputy Ambassador referred to detentions of human rights defenders by UNnamed countries in West and Central Africa. France's Deputy Anne Gueguen referred to Togo - whose ruling family France has long supported - and to Guinea Conakry, regarding which there was recently a protest in front of the UN with photos of Alpha Conde victims, which Guterres, Mohammed and seemingly France ignored. The Council canceled its consultations. When Chambas came to the stakeout, he was told by a staffer now for Smale that Inner City Press is "now down covering Wall Street, he can't be here;" the first question went to Al Jazeera English, which worked with and/or was willingly used by Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric to get Inner City Press roughed up and banned. The questions were entirely about terorrism and Boko Haram and not the denial of democracy, which is just the way Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed and Guterres want it. Their UN has become corrupt.  Inner City Press, roughed up and banned from the UN and the UNSC stakeout now for 190 days and counting by Guterres and Mohammed as it reports on corruption in their UN, had  asked in writing: "On Nigeria, what are the comments and actions of the SG and separately DSG on that five truckloads of heavily armed soldiers yesterday invaded the head office of Media Trust Limited at Jabi, Abuja and proceeded to occupy the newspaper company, which publishes the Daily Trust titles, for five hours, driving out all the staff, carted away desktop and laptop computers and restricted entry or departure from the premises? Please state why the DSG is attending today's 4 pm meeting with UNOWA's Chambas while not attending other similar meetings. What is the DSG's comment on a relative of President Buhari on the electoral commission?" Despite the promise of Guterres' USG Alison Smale to UNSR David Kaye that there would be answers, there has been none to this, or questions on Cameroon or Togo. Chambas' report, as to Togo, says that "the inter-Togolese dialogue process continued under the auspices of the co-facilitators of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana and President Alpha Conde of Guinea. Despite concessions made by the Government of Togo and by a coalition of 14 opposition parties, limited progress has been achieved, owing to persisting disagreements over the modalities for implementing the ECOWAS road map of 14 April. During the reporting period, the ECOWAS facilitators held meetings with the Togolese stakeholders in Accra, Conakry and Lomé to assess progress and attempt to move the process forward. While both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the road map, the Government also continued to display its determination to hold a referendum on constitutional reforms, as well as local and legislative elections before the end of 2018. The opposition parties maintained their demands for the adoption of electoral reforms before the elections, boycotted preparations for the elections and, subsequently, indicated that they would not take part in the polls. The opposition parties also continued street demonstrations against what they termed one -sided reforms." Guterres' UN is one-side, and UNreformed. On Nigeria: when is a person related by marriage not a relative? The question has arisen in Nigeria, where Muhammadu Buhari has appointed his relative Amina Zakari to the "Independent" National Electoral Commission (INEC). The People's Democratic Party (PDP) said in a statement: "for us to have a peaceful election, Mrs Amina Zakari should not be seen anywhere near any of the 2019 election processes, not to talk of being involved in the collation of presidential results." Buhari spokesman Garba Shehu  insisted Buhari is related to her by marriage only. And that's OK? Inner City Press, roughed up and banned from even entering the UN for 185 days and counting by the UN of SG Antonio Guterres and DSG Amina J. Mohammed, asks whether their rep to West Africa and Nigeria Chambas will address or cover up the issue. When the Nigerian military tried to defend its killing of civilians near Abuja, some critics blamed it on Washington. Interesting. But what about the United Nations' Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed, who has said that Buhari is "my President," and who signed thousands of back-dated certificates for rosewood illegally exported to China from Nigeria and Cameroon? Inner City Press asked about her signatures and got roughed up and banned from the UN; its written questions about Amina Mohammed and Nigeria are not answered by Guterres' spokesmen Stephane Dujarric and Farhan Haq despite the false promises of Guterres' Global Censor Alison Smale to David Kaye, who never followed up. Today's UN system is more and more corrupt. Hours after UNICEF was suspended frmo working in north-east Nigeria, accused by spying by the Buhari government of which UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed was a part, as fast-signing Environment Minister, until belatedly assuming her post in New York, it has been reinstated. The Nigerian military said UNICEF staff “train and deploy spies who support the insurgents and their sympathizers”. It said UNICEF’s operations were being suspended in the northeast until further notice. Now after what it calls extensive deliberations, the ban has been lifted. Until this year, UNICEF has seemed one of the relatively better parts of the UN system - but now they too are censors, like Amina J. Mohammed (whose December 14 schedule, once again, says "all appointments are internal." If she couldn't even handle this....). It's not worth asking the UN a written question - they haven't answered a single one of Inner City Press' more than 20 questions this week, despite USG Alison Smale's promise to UNSR David Kaye. Guterres corrupts everything. The UN has banned Inner City Press from entering its campus since July 5, claiming that its Lieutenant Ronald Dobbins targeted ouster of Inner City Press from a speech by Secretary General Antonio Guterres on June 22 then from a meeting about his budget on July 3 were "altercations." On August 17, with no due process and no accountability, Guterres' Global Censor Alison Smale issued a ruling without once hearing from Inner City Press, making the ban permanent. Now this ban has been extended  beyond the UN Secretariat to the other side of First Avenue, the once crown jewel of the UN system now corrupted to (as in CAR and Myanmar), UNICEF, the "children's agency." Inner City Press has responded to an UNICEF invitation to an event for a book by Kul Gautam on September 5. On Friday August 31 past 6 pm UNICEF's Michelle Siegel wrote, "bring your UN media accreditation for security clearance. If you are not a currently accredited UN journalist you will not be admitted to the event." Wonder(ed) why. Now it emerges that Kul Gautam earlier on August 31 met with Guterres (who dominated the photo promoting the book) - and then Inner City Press was disinvited. On September 5 Inner City Press went to check out, then stake out, the event, which is its right. A slew of people with no UN ID at all went in. After a time, not Guterres but his chief of staff Maria Luiza Viotti and her chief of staff Mr. Eihab Omaish, previously Jordan's Deputy PR, arrived. Inner City Press informed them, politely, that it had been banned from this UN book event. They did not react at all. This is what Guterres is doing to the UN, including its badges that Guterres through Smale can revoke the moment you ask him about cash, Cameroon or corruption. Now UNICEF of Henriette Fore and Queen Rania and David Beckham have joined Guterres' censorship, hamhandedly. (We'll assume Fore checked this with the Queen, and Bend it Like Beckham, and the one and only  Kul Chandra Gautam, author of “Global Citizen from Gulmi"). Guterres and Amina J. Mohammed are killing the UN. We'll have more on this. 

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