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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFTracker

UN GATE, Dec 24 -- UN Secretary General Antonio has been missing from New York for weeks with no answers to the Press where he is and who's paying - but on Dec 24 the statement below was cranked out in his name on Nigeria, the country of his Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed, while he remains silent on the slaughter in Cameroon.

On December 11, Inner City Press asked his spokesman Stephane Dujarric and DSG Amina Mohammed, without the answer promised by the UN Department of Global Communications to UNSR David Kaye: "December 11-5: On press freedom and Nigeria, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and separately of DSG Amina J. Mohammed on that Nigerian authorities should halt all efforts to intimidate journalists working with the U.S.-headquartered, Nigeria-focused Sahara Reporters news website and ensure they are permitted to continue working to report the news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.  Sahara Reporters staff told CPJ their Nigerian bank account was frozen without advance notice in October, significantly hindering their operations. The website was separately disabled twice due to allegations of copyright infringement, and staff report cyberattacks and increased surveillance outside their Lagos office." Nothing.

Here's is "Guterres'" Dec 24, 2019 statement: "The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about reports that civilians have been executed, and others abducted, by an armed group in northern Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. He expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and reiterates the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Government of Nigeria.     The Secretary-General recalls that attacks by a party to an armed conflict that target civilians, aid workers, and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law.     Those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable. International human rights law and international humanitarian law must be fully respected, and all civilians in Nigeria must be protected.     Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General     New York, 24 December 2019."

On September 26, after Nigeria sent 47 refugees back to Cameroon to be jailed, Inner City Press  banned from the UN for 539 days by Antonio Guterres after questioning his silence on Cameroon, was also banned from Guterres' Buhari photo op.

 On the morning of August 13, 2018 Inner City Press emailed these questions to Guterres' spokesmen and his Deputy and his "Global Communicator" Smale and others, with no answer by the afternoon of August 14: " On Cameroon, Inner City Press has obtained a goverment memo concerning SG Guterres' meeting with them, managed by their lobbyist Squire Patton Boggs, on July 11. This is a(nother) formal request for the UN's read-out of that meeting, including but not limited to any references to the media, “Anglo-Saxon” or otherwise, and any assistance the SG may have offered Cameroon including specifically in countering perceptions. Separately, plese disclose any and all other meeings the SG has had this year arranged by paid lobbyists. Also, beyond the many other UNanswered questions, what is the SG's comment on the recent announcement of seven arrests for summary executions, and the newer video of Cameroon Army executions that has emerged? Specifically, how are these videos being incorporated into the supposed vetting of Cameroon's contributions to UN Peacekeeping missions? Again, please provide a list and read-out of each of the Secretary General's meetings and communications with Cameroon Ambassador Tommo Monthe during Monthe's time as chair of the Fifth (Budget) Committee. In light of statements at the August 8 noon briefing please state whether envoy Fall even requested to meet with President Paul Biya or whether the UN believes that Biya is once again out of the country, in Geneva. Has the UN ever met with Biya in Geneva? Also, I reiterate August 7-1 and 8-1 and 9-1, on this: was the SG or anyone else in the UN aware that this Biya delegation's lobbying trip was stage managed by the DC-based lobbying firm Patton Boggs? Why was this meeting not disclosed at the time? Why is there no photo, even just UN Photo, of it? Where did it take place? Who attended, on each side? Has the Secretariat communicated since with the Biya government? Has it ever communicated with the opposition?" 

 Guterres has kept Inner City Press banned from the UN and its daily press briefings for 40 days, with the prospect of a longer or permanent ban by his conflicted Communicator Alison Smale (see yesterday's Fox story here; Smale refused comment.)

  Here's from the Cameroon government's memo: "THE DION NGUTE/GHOGOMU PAUL MISSION REPORT

High Level Mission to the USA
(11 – 20 July 2018)

Delegation Members:
H.E Dr DION NGUTE Joseph, Minister in charge of Missions at the Presidency,
H.E GHOGOMU Paul MINGO, Director of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet,
H.E MBAYU Felix, Minister Delegate to MINREX, in charge of the Commonwealth,
Mr. CHINMOUN Oumarou, Director of American and Caribbean Affairs at the MINREX, and
Mme EYEMA ELINGE Susan epse EWUSI, Research Officer at the Presidency....

NEW YORK
Meeting with:
H.E Antonio Gutteres, Secretary General of the UNO

The Delegation was helped in the organization of audiences by the Cameroon Permanent Representative to the United Nations, H.E TOMMO MONTHE. At each audience, we presented the historical background of the socio-political crisis in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon. We also briefed our hosts on the current situation in the two Regions, and explained the measures taken by the Government to address the crisis.

We insisted that it was an internal crisis for which the Government had mobilized all necessary security, political, social and humanitarian means for its management. We presented the Government Emergency Humanitarian Plan and stated our Government’s expectations from the UNO and the members of the Security Council.

For the SG/UN:
Cameroon is a very important and strategic Country,
We have a very wise and intelligent leader,
There is a pattern of inevitable problems when there is a linguistic minority,
The strategy of radical groups has always been to provoke, then show the world what the army is doing,
The global media is Anglo-Saxon dominated, so that there is a campaign to show that the English-speaking minority is being maltreated,
We are losing the international propaganda campaign, but he is willing to help. He will contact reasonable people,

Cameroon should however counter the daily press briefs" --

  And Guterres has Inner City Press banned from the UN's daily noon press briefing, and refuses to answer written questions about these meetings. Meanwhile, Guterres for a year sought to ingratiate himself to Biya's Ambassador Tommo Monthe, UN Budget Committee chair whose bureaucratic help Guterres wanted for example for his ill-gated Global Service Delivery Mechanism plan to move UN jobs from Geneva to Budapest, from New York to Mexico City, and from Entebbe, Uganda to Kenya. We'll have more, much more, on this.

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