By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 18 --
Since Salva
Kiir's
government on
January 16
confiscated
the entire
press run of
the Juba
Monitor for
daring to
suggest an
interim
government
until 2015,
what has the
UN said?
Nothing, it appears.
UNMISS chief
Hilde Johnson
is aligned
with Kiir and
the SPLA. The
mission tweets
its good work
protecting refugees
in its camps,
but stays
silent on
censorship and
Kiir-invited
Ugandans
bragging of
re-taking Bor.
Something is
being put "Up
Front" here,
-- but it's
not Rights, at
least not the
right to
freedom of the
press.
That UN
missions and
agencies and
department
should have at
least basic
respect for
freedom of the
press is a
cause of the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access.
Some of these
problems trace
up to the top
of the UN,
here, of
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations.
With Uganda
bragging today
of its role in
re-taking Bor
in South
Sudan, the
marginalization
and double
standards of
the UN are
ever more in
focus.
For week the
Press asked
the UN about
Ugandan
troops'
presence in
South Sudan,
and if the UN
as elsewhere
at least
called for
restraint in
the re-taking
of population
centers.
The UN dodged
the questions,
as recently as
January 16
saying the
Ugandans'
presence --
offensive as
now confirmed
-- was just a
bilateral
matter between
governments,
and saying its
focus is on
protecting
civilians in
its bases.
What is the
message of
Uganda
bragging of
having helped
Salva Kiir
retake Bor
from rebels
loyal to
former vice
president Riek
Machar? What
is the UN's
role, if any,
in the
"cessation of
hostilities"
talks in Addis
Ababa? The UN
on those
wouldn't even
call for more
inclusion of
women, as it
has for
example on the
Syria talks in
Switzerland.
We'll have
more on this.
In
South Sudan,
the lack of
transparency
by UN
Peacekeeping
does not serve
it. On
December 30,
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
chief Herve
Ladsous
admonished
South Sudan to
not put in
"caveat" on
accepting
troops from
any country.
Though
Ladsous didn't
name the
country -- for
reasons that
soon became
obvious -- and
later in the
week UN
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
declined to
specify any
country being
considered for
South Sudan,
later on
December 30 at
the UN Mission
of an African
(and troop
contributing)
country Inner
City Press was
told Ladsous
was trying to
push into
South Sudan
peacekeeping
from Morocco.
Click here for
more on that.
After
telling Inner
City Press "I don't answer you
Mister,"
Ladsous dodged
about the
impact of
shifting
peacekeepers
out of Darfur,
where two had
just been
killed, and
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo.
Then he
mentioned, for
South Sudan,
"half a
regiment" from
the MINUSTAH
mission in
Haiti. UN
Video here,
from Minute
3:09.
Now,
which
country's
half-regiment
could that be?
Questions have
been asked,
particularly
in light of UN
Peacekeeping's
dubious record
in Haiti: the
introduction
of cholera,
multiple cases
of sexual
abuse or
exploitation,
nearly always
followed by
mere
repatriation
and no update
on any
discipline
meted out, for
example in the
case of
repatriated
Sri Lanka
peacekeepers.
The website
of the UNMISS
mission in
South Sudan
lists fully 55
countries as
contributing
peacekeepers
(Morocco notably
is NOT among
them) and
some additional
countries
contributing
UN Police,
including
Zimbabwe.
On January
2 Inner
City Press asked
UN acting
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq:
Inner
City
Press: Yes,
Farhan. I
wanted to ask
you two
questions
about
peacekeeping
in South
Sudan. One is
that, it’s
reported that
India is
unhappy with
not being
consulted in
some of the
ways their
peacekeepers
were used and
intends to
send its own
military team
to meet with
its
peacekeepers
there. I
wanted to
know,
separately,
[Permanent
Representative
Asoke Kumar]
Mukerji has,
over the
holidays, said
that the Force
Intervention
Brigade may
put
peacekeepers
in danger.
What’s your
response to
that? And
also, if you
could confirm,
I’ve heard
that the UN
wants to send
Moroccan
peacekeepers
to South Sudan
and they’re
pushing back.
And one of
their reasons
for pushing
back is that
Morocco is not
a member of
the African
Union due to
the Western
Sahara. And I
wanted if it’s
DPKO’s
(Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations)
position that
countries
don’t have a
right to have
a sort of
principled,
political
stand on why
they wouldn’t
take
peacekeepers?
Or should they
take anyone
that DPKO
sends?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq: Well,
first of all,
we wouldn’t
comment on the
specifics of
how we’re
trying to
bring more
peacekeepers
in. We, as you
know, are in
touch with a
number of
Member States
trying to
build up the
forces, as was
approved by
the Security
Council. And
when we have
details of
which
countries are
coming in,
we’ll provide
those details
at that point.
But, I don’t
have any
specific names
to give up
until more
arrivals come
in.
Inner
City
Press: I ask
that only
because Mr.
[Hervé]
Ladsous at the
stakeout made
a big point of
saying, it’s
not… when the
house is on
fire, anyone
must be taken.
So, I just
wanted to
know, can you
say… is that
the UN’s
position? That
even if
there’s a
political,
principled
stated reason
not to take
them… that
wouldn’t… that
should be
overridden?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
For us, the
priority is to
get as many
peacekeepers
in as we can.
They’ve been
authorized by
the Security
Council. We’re
trying to get
the right
numbers in
order to stop
the bloodshed
as soon as we
possibly can.
So, that’s our
priority. But,
if we have any
specific
announcements
to make about
different
countries
joining in,
we’ll make it
at that point.
But, that’s
not ready at
this stage.
Inner
City
Press: And on
India?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
I wouldn’t
have any
comment on
that. Is that
it? Okay? Pam?
Correspondent:
Hi, Farhan.
I’d like to
just correct
the record
that was
established at
this briefing
a few weeks
ago that the
UN
Correspondents’
Association
has not… does
not have any
new Samsung TV
sets in the
room, never
has had and
has never
accepted any
donation or
loan from the
UN for Samsung
TVs. Thank
you.
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Yeah, thanks.
I’m in receipt
of a letter
from
the United
Nations
Correspondent’s
Association,
which says,
which does
read: “Please
be advised
that there are
no new Samsung
TV sets in the
UNCA room
and have never
been. And the
UN
Correspondents’
Association
has not
accepted a
donation or
loan of new
Samsung TVs”.
Thanks for
that update.
We’ll try to
get any
updated
guidance about
the language
that we had
earlier
received. Yes?
Inner
City
Press: Because
I’m thinking
maybe you’ll
correct the
transcript on
the answer
that was given
to me in
writing about
the television.
If so, do you
have any
response about
the note
verbale that
was filed by
Syria that we
previously
discussed here?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
No, there’s no
response to
that at
present. But,
yes, if
there’s any
fresh language
on the
language that
was given to
you, we’ll try
to correct the
record here.
Yes, Lou?
Watch
this site.
, 
