As
Sudan
Intimidates Darfur IDPs Who Spoke to Council, UN Has No
Comment
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 11 -- The day after the Sudan trip
of the UN
Security Council ended, the UN in New York had no answers to issues
that arose on the trip, including the reported questioning and
intimidation by
authorities of Internally Displaced Persons who spoke
to the Council, and the destruction
of the village of Sora in Eastern
Jebel Marra.
When
Inner City
Press asked these two questions -- there were more questions to ask,
including about the dismantling of the Kalma IDP camp in Darfur and
the UN's Lear Jet for Ibrahim Gambari -- UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky
said by rote, “we'll look into it, next question.” (He was
equally dismissive or evasive on two questions about the Congo.)
But
the questioning
of the IDPs was reported
a day ago, and the destruction of Sora was
tucked in a report by OCHA's Georg Charpentier, but apparently not
raised by him to the Security Council Ambassadors when he briefed
them.
In Abu Shouk Oct 9, IDP
& Amb Churkin, subsequent intimidation and UN community not shown
(c) MRLee
Inner
City Press
asked two Permanent Five members' Permanent Representatives about
Sora, and the dismantling of Kalma Camp, in the Dubai airport.
Neither was aware, and now Inner City Press has asked if Sora's
destruction was by ground or aerial attacks.
Meanwhile
Nesirky
in the opening of his briefing recited verbatim a piece of UNAMID
good news or propaganda, about the UN's role in an agreement signed
in Nyala between the “Rizeigat and Fur tribes.. easing years of
ethnic tensions.” We'll see.
* * *
In
Darfur,
Sora
Destroyed and Kalma Dismantled Before Blind
UN Council Visit
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
KHARTOUM,
October
9
-- In the week before the UN
Security Council arrived in
Darfur, the village of Sora “was completely burned down” as part
of “intense ground fighting and aerial attacks in Eastern Jebel
Marra.”
These
quotes
come from a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
report which was left on the bus of the Press covering the Council's
visit.
But the
destruction of Sora, and the systematic dismantling of the
Kalma Internally Displaced Persons camp, were not highlighted to the
Council ambassadors by the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan,
Georg Charpentier.
Inner
City Press
asked two Permanent Five members' ambassadors, after the Council's
final press conference, about the destruction of Sora and dismantling
of the Kalma Camp. One had never heard of Sora's destruction, despite
briefings ostensibly on humanitarian issues in Darfur.
The
other, who said
that the dismantling of Kalma Camp had not been discussed, took
interest in the wording of the OCHA document Inner City Press quoted
from, that the destruction was either from ground fighting or aerial
attacks. Which one? Not that the UN Security Council would imposes a
no fly zone at this point over Darfur or South Sudan.
The
document was
brought to and left on the press bus after Inner City Press asked
Charpentier why he had not been more vocal about the government's
blockage of the Kalma Camp during the summer, and the lack of
humanitarian access to Jebal Marra from February to September of this
year, and now again, after a single assessmentmission to parts of
Jebal Marra.
Charpentier
replied
that the blockade of Kalma Camp has been “exaggerated” by
the media. Of Jebel Marra, he said that food was not a problem but
rather blankets, since “it gets cold up there.” He did not
mention the destruction of whole villages like Sora, either to the
Press or it seems to the Council.
Many
in the
humanitarian and journalistic communities have doubts about
Charpentier's even handedness -- the former saying he tries to
assuage Khartoum by saying little, the latter that he has checked his
press releases with Omar al Bashir's Minister for Humanitarian
Affairs Joseph Lual Achuil. (Charpentier has denied this, but a
higher UN official tells Inner City Press it is true, during “this
sensitive period.”)
But
that the
Security Council Ambassadors did not themselves zero in on conditions
in Kalma Camp, which has suffered violence then the blockage and now
a stand off in which the UN's
Ibrahim Gambari is negotiating with the
Al Bashir regime to turn over five supporters of Fur rebel Abdel
Wahid Nur for show trial and punishment, exclusively reported
by Inner City Press, is troubling.
Ibrahim "Turn Over" Gambari & Georg "Keep
Quiet" Charpentier, Sora and Kalma not shown
Regarding
this
impending and unprecedented turn over, a Western diplomat speaking to
Inner City Press on Saturday on condition of being identified this
way -- that is, on background -- said that “Professor Gambari
conveyed to me and others this is an issue the UN continues to work
on, in discussions with the government and the UN is committed to
dealing with this in a fashion consistent with its principles and
international humanitarian law and that's the basis on which they
continue to negotiation and discuss.”
This
is discussing
turning over government opponents to a strongman indicted by the ICC
for war crimes and genocide, with the fig leaf that said president's
promise not to execute those turned over make it comply with
international humanitarian law and the UN's principles.
Is
the failure to
follow through the the dismantling of the Kalma IDP camp, and the
failure to do anything about the destruction of the entire village of
Sora in the week before the Security Council came to Darfur,
consistent with the UN's, OCHA's and the Security Council's
principles? Watch this site.
* * *
In
Darfur,
Gambari
Criticizes
Nur
&
Inner City Press on Video,
Transcription Here
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
DARFUR,
October
8
--
Peacekeepers
were
sent to Darfur after reports of a
brutal campaign by the government of Omar al Bashir against opponents
of his regime and civilians perceived as supporting them.
Now
top
peacekeeper
Ibrahim
Gambari,
as shown by documents
leaked
to
and
published by
Inner City Press, is near to turning over five supporters of rebel
Abdel Wahid Nur to that same Bashir regime, in exchange for a promise
by Bashir to commute any death sentence his courts impose.
Several
members
of
the
UN
Security Council, which ostensibly oversees Gambari's actions
along with the African Union, expressed surprise to Inner City Press
once they saw the leaked documents, consisting of a draft letter and
“Additional Terms” from Gambari to Bashir's foreign minister Ali
Karti.
On
the
UN
plane
Thursday
to El Fasher from South Sudan, US Ambassador Susan Rice told
Inner City Press that she intends to inquire into Gambari's offers
about the Kalma Camp Five while in Darfur. This echoed a statement of
intention previously issued by another Permanent Member of the
Council.
After
a
closed
door
meeting
with the visiting Security Council members, Gambari
and two
of his military officials, in uniform, came to see the Press.
Gambari
called Inner City Press' publication of his draft documents
“reprehensible” and told Inner City Press to “be careful...
lives are at stake.” Transcription below.
Yeah, a witness to
Gambari's statements later said, the
lives of the Kalma Camp Five are
at risk if the UN turns them over to a strongman already
indicted for
genocide and war crimes. “Is this what the UN should be doing?”
Gambari, Lyall Grant, Susan Rice, Churkin- oversight
not seen? (c) MRLee
Gambari's
statements
to
Inner
City
Press were caught on video and will soon be
published online as such. For now, here is a transcription, prepared
late Thursday night at a guest house in El Fasher outside of
Gambari's UNAMID compound:
Inner
City
Press
asked
Ibrahim
Gambari,
“What's happen with the Kalma
Camp Five that you are considering turning over to the government...
or that documents indicate you are considering turning over?”
Gambari
answered:
“Here
is
the
situation.
We have these five sheikhs who
have been accused of some very serious offenses. We have no means as
UNAMID to try them... Down the line if ever there was a death
sentence, the President has the prerogative of mercy. All has been
discussed confidentially. I want to say how reprehensible it was
that somebody leaked the confidential communication of the government
of Sudan...endangering the lives of those in the camps. The recipient
of such a leak I think should also think twice about what they do
considering that they are endangering the lives.. We've lost 27
peacekeepers between UNAMID and UNMIS, I mean AMIS.”
Inner
City
Press
asked
about
Abdel
Wahid Nur saying that if the Five are
turned over, it will make UNAMID complicit in genocide, and that his
group would not cooperate with the UN any more.
Gambari
responded,
“you
quote
words
Abdel
Wahid was supposed to have
said... I met Khalil Ibrahim yesterday, asked how about how someone
said JEM wants Gambari to resign for Tarabat Market. [He
said he] ever said that, never authorized this... I want to hear from
Abdel Wahid. I've been to Paris twice, I went to Tripoli...What
happened in New York I condemn it. Matthew I have known you a long
time, you should be careful... You are a recipient of a leaked
document... Journalism also is a responsibility. I regard you as a
friend, I used to, I regard you as a friend, I am admitting that.”
Of
Abdel
Wahid
Nur,
Gambari said: “He wants all issues resolved almost
before he comes.”
“Matthew,
I'm
very
angry
with
you , what are we supposed to do, keep people
indefinitely?”
Inner
City
Press
said,
“Several
Security
Council members, when they saw
the leaked documents, said they were not aware that you or UNAMID
were in such discussions, and some expressed worry. How much is this
Mission overseen by the Security Council?”
Gambari
said
“Ask
them.
Ask
the
S-G. I am responsible to two masters. You
have the AU and you have the UN. The unity of the international
community is key to finding a solution.”
Inner
City
Press
said,
as
Gambari
backed out the door toward his vehicle,
“Transparency you can always say is dangerous, but I think it's
probably a good thing.”
“No,”
Gambari
said.
“Believe
me,
lives are at stake.”
Or
maybe
jobs,
a witness to Gambari's statements later said, adding that the lives
of the Kalma Camp Five are at risk if the UN turns them over to a
strongman already indicted for genocide and war crimes. Among other
lives put at risk, without oversight, transparency or explanation.
“Is this what the UN should be doing?”
Watch
this site.
Footnote:
it's
worth
noting
that
even
before Inner City Press obtained and
published Gambari's draft letter to Sudan's Ali Karti, Gambari had
already expressed anger at Inner City Press' publication
of
other
leaked
documents
concerning
his time as UN envoy to Myanmar.
That time,
before
the
UN's
September
24 high level meeting on Sudan, Gambari didn't
argue about lives being at risk. He claimed the documents were “old”
(2009) and not newsworthy. “Just leave me alone,” he said, having
in the past declined to respond to questions sentto his UN e-mail
address by Inner City Press. Now, the claim that lives are put at
risk. Is it just opposition to transparency?
, 
