UNITED
NATIONS, June
6 -- The UN
has refused to
release its
findings about
the use of
cluster bombs
in South
Sudan, just as
UN
Peacekeeping's
Herve
Ladsous
refused to
release his
report on
weapons
accompanying
Ghanaian
troops, and refused to answer questions
about it.
Emmanuel
Jal,
by contrast,
answered on
cluster bombs
and killings
in UN
compounds,
even citing
chemical
weapons, when
Inner City
Press asked
him on June 6.
Video
here and
embedded
below.
Jal
replied, “We
have to
pressure UN to
follow its
words, what it
says.” On
cluster bombs
he said, “we
want to know,
who authorized
them?” He
mentioned
hearing of
“chemical
weapons used
in other
areas. Who
ever used them
should be held
accountable.”
While
the UN invited
him to a June
6 concert
including Sumi
of
Bangladesh's
band Lalon,
Jocelyn
Beroard of
Kassav and
Machel Montano,
Jal said, “if
UN is getting
lost, we the
people have
the
responsibility
to speak out.”
He mentioned
the “UN
compound
raided by
government
soldiers.”
Some
in South Sudan
e-mailed Inner
City Press
when Jal did a
previous
concern,
calling him
anti-government.
He is a
musician, and
it is too rare
to have
someone
answering
questions in
the UN
briefing room
-- as UN
official Herve
Ladsous
refuses to do
-- without
having to
watch his or
her words so
carefully.
More on the
concert to
follow.
Footnote:
While Jal
answered,
Inner City
Press had to
also cover the
African
Union's
stakeout with
the UN
Security
Council
president
- this is
because the UN
gave the first
question to
its UN
Censorship
Alliance, UNCA,
whose board
has tried
to get the
investigative
Press thrown
out of the UN.
More recently
UNCA's board
did nothing
when the UN
evicted the
News Agency of
Nigeria.
The
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
opposed
the eviction,
opposes any
privileged
place for the
UN Censorship
Alliance,
which has also
defended
Ladsous.
This UN... is
lost.