By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 20 --
When the UN
deputy High
Commission for
Human Rights
Ivan Simonovic
returned to
New York from
South Sudan,
Inner City
Press on
January 20
asked him
about press
freedom and
the reported
killing of
hundreds of
Nuer in Gudele
in Juba on
December 16.
Simonovic said
interviews had
been conducted
about Gudele;
it will be in
his forthcoming
report and
further
inquiry may be
required into
an "incident
of that magnitude."
On the Kiir
government's
seizure of the
whole print
run of the
Juba Monitor
newspaper,
which Inner
City Press
raised on
behalf of the
Free UN Coalition
for Access
(noting that
the UNMISS
mission has
apparently not
spoken on it),
Simonovic said
he raised it
to officials
including "the
vice
president."
That would be
the new,
post-Machar
vice
president.
Back on
December 26,
when the UN's
envoy to South
Sudan Hilde
Johnson
took press
questions,
she quoted and
praised
President
Salva Kiir for
his pledges on
accountability.
Inner
City Press
asked Johnson
about reports
that "young
men from the
Dinka
community,
many of them
with no
military
training, were
given uniforms
and guns from
various
armories
around the
capital,
including one
located at
President
Kiir's own
compound,
known as J1."
Johnson
replied
that several
government
armories had
been "broken
into" and army
uniforms and
equipment
distributed.
UN
(inaccurate)
transcript
below.
To some, it
was just what
a defense
lawyer, in
this case for
Kiir, would
say. But in a
real trial the
question would
be, Did you
report them
stolen at the
time?
In any
event, it
seems strange
for Johnson at
this time to
be quoting
with praise
Salva Kiir,
and speaking
favorably of
government
control of
Bor, which was
re-taken by
force. Does
the government
do that
elsewhere
(other than,
for example,
Sri Lanka)?
Inner
City Press
asked Johnson
about threats
by Kiir's
supporters to
re-take Bentiu
by force.
Johnson said
she hopes
talks can
proceed in
tranquility
and that
option is not
pursued. It
fell short of
saying, as the
UN does
elsewhere,
don't re-take
by force.
One
wanted to ask
other
questions,
about the
status of Yida
camp (the
UNHCR person
to whom South
Sudan OCHA
referred Inner
City Press is,
who knew, out
of the office
from December
9 to January
9), of the UN
base in Yuai
from which the
UN withdrew
peacekeepers
and of other
UN facilities
Inner City
Press has
asked in
writing about,
in for example
Aweil, and in
Kuacjok.
Johnson
was
asked at the
end of her
briefing about
reports UNMISS
helped and or
sheltered
armed rebels.
Her response,
partially cut
off by the
understandably
choppy audio
from Juba,
seemed limited
to
non-governmental
fighters.
So
Inner City
Press has
asked the UN
Spokesperson,
adding to the
other
questions
left
unanswered now
for 120 hours,
that while
Johnson "spoke
of disarming
those who
enter UNMISS
bases...
please state
if this
applied to the
27 SPLA
fighters whom
UNMISS
spokesperson
Joe Contreras
was quoted by
Reuters as
saying sought
shelter with
with UNMISS in
Rubkona,
across the
river from
Bentiu, and
separately
state if
UNMISS has
sheltered SPLA
fighters
anywhere else
in the past
two weeks."
Watch
this site.
Update:
the UN put out
a transcript
with various
inaccuracies,
some
intentional,
such as
leaving in
"Reuters,"
"AP," "UNCA" (UN's
Censorship
Alliance)
and even
"Huffington
Post
contributor"
-- but
censoring out
from the below
"Inner City
Press" and "Free UN Coalition for Access." They
call it
censorship,
compare to UN
video here
at Min 20:39
[This
was explicitly
by Inner City
Press & FUNCA] Question: I wanted to ask you
about Bentiu.
It’s been said
that President
Kiir’s forces
had said they
are going to
retake or
could have
already
retaken it.
Has it been?
Who’s in
control in
Bentiu and
what’s the
Mission’s
position in
terms of any
retaking or
any reentering
by force? And
also, I’m sure
you saw in The
Guardian
December 23rd
piece, hey
said that
President Kiir
had spoken on
accountability
but in the
middle of that
article they
said that,
quote “young
men from the
Dinka
community many
of them with
no military
training were
given uniforms
from armories,
including one
located in
President
Kiir’s own
compound known
as J1”. And I
wanted to know
what do you
make of that?
Is your
Mission in a
position to
look into this
allegation
against the
President or
at least arms
within his
compound. Do
you think it’s
possible that
some of these
atrocities
have been
committed by
the Government
or with the
Government’s
knowledge? In
which case,
what will your
Mission do
about it?
Thank you.
Hilde Johnson:
Well, first in
regard to
Bentiu, it’s
too early to
say…[inaudible]…there
are two forces
present and
there might be
attempt at
retaking the
city. However,
what we are
now hoping for
is a political
track can be
established as
soon as
possible,
which in that
case would
imply, we
hope, that
talks would be
taking place
in tranquility
and that these
operations
would not be
pursued. This
is too early
to say. We are
waiting for
the outcome of
what has
happened
amongst the
IGAD heads of
State and
their
consultations.
As regards to
what has
unfolded in
terms of human
rights
violations,
abuse, and
atrocities
that seem to
have been
committed. All
of those
issues, and
all of those
allegations
and reports,
as I said, are
being looked
into by our
human rights
division, and
they will
investigate
and verify. I
may also add
that during
the night of
15 to 16
December
several of the
armories of
the forces of
the
Government,
whether
Presidential
Guard or SPLA,
were broken
into and a
significant
number of
uniforms and
arms were
stolen and
taken. So that
is an
important
factual piece
of information
that also
needs to be
included in
any of the
investigations
going forward.
But it is far
too early to
assess
anything in
terms of
possible
perpetrators
or indeed
responsible
actors. We
need to see a
solid
verification
and
investigation
process take
place.
, 
