On
S Sudan and Kiir Media Reports
of Arms in UN Car, ICP Asks
But UNHQ Has No Response
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Video here
UNITED NATIONS,
March 5 – In South Sudan,
pro-government media reported
that weapons were found in a
UN vehicle. One would expect
the UN at the highest level,
particularly given its history
in South Sudan, to quickly
respond, investigate, deny.
But in this case, according to
Joseph Bakosoro, the
allegations are meant to
discredit his party. And when
Inner City Press asked the UN
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric
about it on March 5, offering
the UN an opportunity to deny
or describe its investigation,
there was nothing - the
spokesman said he was not
aware and to ask the Mission,
whose chief David Shearer
while chatting with Dujarric
last week did not deign to
take any questions at the
stakeout. The UN is failing.
From the March 5 UN transcript:
Inner City Press: I wanted to
ask something about South
Sudan. Over the weekend,
there was reporting in the
pro-Government press there
that a UN vehicle was found
with weapons in it. And
opposition, Joseph Bagosora,
has said it's not true, has
asked for an investigation,
said it's part of a cam… you
know, campaign by the
Government to… to vilify and
delegitimize the
opposition. I wanted to
know, since it was a UN
vehicle, is the UN… are they
investigating? And what
can you say about…?
Spokesman: I'm not aware
of the case. You should…
I'm not denying that there's a
picture of anything. I'm
just saying I personally am
not aware of the case.
You may want to reach out to
the Mission directly. Inner
City Press: Would the
Secretary-General be concerned
if a host Government of a
major peacekeeping mission is
saying that UN vehicles are…?
Spokesman: As I'm
saying, I'm not aware of
it. I don't want to
speculate. I think if…
you can follow up that
question directly with the
Mission." Right. There's more
to this story. Watch this
site. After UN Police in South
Sudan allegedly sexually
exploited those they were
supposed to protect in Wau,
Inner City Press went to the
UN Security Council stakeout
on February 27 to find out if
the report will be made
public. When Secretary General
Antonio Guterres'
representative David Shearer
emerged from the Council's
closed door meeting, he was
glad-handing with Guterres'
spokesman Stephane Dujarric,
right back the stakeout to the
elevator vestibule. As Inner
City Press streamed Periscope
video, anticipating Q&A,
the talk was of meeting for
drinks at the Trump World Bar.
Finally Inner City Press went
to the elevator door and asked
Shearer, Will the report be
made public? First he said he
didn't know, then that some of
it should be. Then he was
gone. On March 2, Inner City
Press asked Dujarric about
South Sudan's demand, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: I
wanted to ask you again about
the South Sudan and the
alleged sexual abuse in Wau by
the Ghanaian contingent.
It seems like the Government
of South Sudan has now… having
met with UNMISS [United
Nations Mission in South
Sudan], they are saying they
want an independent… either a
joint investigation with their
participation or what they
call an independent one.
They're not satisfied with
OIOS [Office of Internal
Oversight Services] doing an
investigation, and I wanted to
know how does the UN… what's
its response to that?
Spokesman: We have…
there are procedures in
place. I think the Head
of the Mission acted very
quickly when he learned that
there were allegations, which
did not target all… all 46
from what I gather, but it was
important, I think, for us to
ensure that, you know, as a…
as a Unit that they were
repatriated together. I
think it's important that it's
not… and… and this is not
prejudging the investigation,
but as a matter of principle,
it is not just those who
perpetrate those crimes, but
it is also those who stand
silent while knowing that
others are perpetrating those
crimes. There's an
ongoing investigation by
OIOS. The government of
Ghana has… has also told us
they will do their own
investigation, and I expect… I
expect things will move
quickly. The calendar
for these types of
investigations has been
shortened. For the time…
for the time being, all the
police officers remain
confined to base. Inner
City Press:
But there's a direct quote by
the Under-Secretary of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
and he says, “we want an
independent investigation
because we don't believe an
investigation conducted by one
of their agencies or their
employees would be fair and
just.” And I wonder
what's the right of a host
country? Spokesman: I'm
sure there's… they are… I'm
sure there's a dialogue that
is going on with the
Mission. Obviously,
South Sudan is a sovereign
country. They have the
right to investigate any… any
crimes that may have happened
in… in their country, but I
would ask… I would ask people
not to prejudge the outcome of
the investigation. Inner City
Press: But do the peacekeepers
have immunity? I guess
that's my question. They
might have… they have a right
to do an investigation, but if
they find that their citizens
were, in fact, abused…
Spokesman: As… as… as
you know, when it comes to
uniformed personnel, they're
under the jurisdiction of the
flag country from which… from
which they come from. We
hope… and again, I don't want
to prejudge anything, that if
crimes have been committed or
if misconduct may have been
committed that those people
face the justice that is… that
is relevant." After that
answer, the UNMISS mission in
a statement distributed to
some media - but not the Press
which asked, not even by the
Office of the Spokesperson to
which Inner City Press asked
on camera - rejected South
Sudan's request, saying
unilaterally it is not a
criminal matter and that OIOS
" is not part of UNMISS. It is
an independent office and
reports directly to the United
Nations General Assembly. It
is, therefore, appropriate
that the OIOS investigate."
There are many, including
former and even current OIOS
investigators, who disagree.
This amid local reports
involving weapons and an
UNMISS vehicle - more on this
to follow. On February 28
Inner City Press asked the UN
Spokesman, UN Transcript here:
Inner City Press: on South
Sudan since… at the end of… I
saw you around, but there was
no stakeout at the end of… by
the Special
Representative. So, I
wanted to ask you whether the
report that the UN or is
commissioning into the sexual
exploitation allegations in
Wau what… if there's a
deadline for it and if it will
be made public. And I
also wanted to ask you or, I
guess, Mr. [David] Shearer
whether he's aware of the
travel ban on a civil society
leader that the US Embassy in
Juba has denounced. Does
the UN have any view on the
Government blocking…?
Spokesman: I haven't
seen that report. You
can check with our colleagues
in the mission. On the
accusations against the
Ghanaians, I think Mr. Shearer
and the mission moved
extremely swiftly, as soon as
he became aware of these
allegations of transactional
sex, to remove the foreign
police unit from Wau to
Juba. They are currently
confined to base. OIOS
[Office of Internal Oversight
Services] is doing an
investigation. The
Ghanaian Government is also
doing an investigation.
We hope that that will be
finished quickly, and then we
will see what measures; if the
allegations are founded and
turn out to be true, we will
obviously be able to take
measures, and we would expect
the Ghanaian authorities to
also take measures.
Inner City
Press:
Right, but will the report or…
or the findings, one way or
another, be made…?
Spokesman: We will make
it clear once we have
concluded the investigation
what the all… which
allegations were founded and
the measures we've taken.
Inner City Press: And
does the Secretary-General… I
mean, does he believe that, in
general, if it's possible,
based on timing, that his
Special Representatives, when
they come to New York and do
such briefings, should make…
should have some questions and
answers with the press… at a
stakeout? Spokesman: I
think it's up to them to
decide what they feel is
best." Ah, leadership on
transparency. Half of hour
after Shearer ran on February
27 the President of the
Security Council, Kuwait's
Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi
emerged to read Elements to
the Press, with a reference to
sexual exploitation. Inner
City Press asked him if the
report will be made public and
he said, politely, that this
aspect wasn't discussed. Then
it was over. UN Security had
already locked the glass door;
Inner City Press was the only
media there, despite being the
only media evicted from its UN
work space and required to get
minders to cover UN meetings
on the rest of the second
floor. This is attributable,
at least since September, to
Guterres' Global Communicator
Alison Smale, who has not
answered this,
a petition with more than
5,000 signatures for the full
restoration of Inner City
Press to S-303, nor explained
any rules. Back in September
2017 Shearer spent public
money to come to New York and
then cut short his press
conference, after a few
softball questions, in order
to meet with his boss Jean
Pierre Lacroix. Both are
managed by the same hacks who
protected Herve Ladsous from
questions after Ladsous blamed
peacekeepers raping on a lack
of "R&R." When Inner City
Press asked the UN's equally
holdover Office of the
Spokesperson about UNMISS
under Shearer having pulling
forces out of Aburok, leading
to civilians being killed
there, it was told to ask
Shearer's UNMISS. But once in
New York, Shearar hit a new
low with a less than half hour
press conference, after
pontificating in response to
the first pre-determined
question. On September 27,
Inner City Press asked
Shearer's ultimate boss'
spokesman Stephane Dujarric,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: I wanted to
ask you something about UNMISS
[United Nations Mission in
South Sudan]. I'd hoped
to ask Mr. [David] Shearer
yesterday but was unable
to. What is the UN's
understanding of who killed
American journalist
Christopher Allen a month ago
in South Sudan? It's
said that he was targeted by
the Government as he was
embedded and covering rebel
forces. What follow-up
has there been by the UN
system in the mission in the
country given…?
Spokesman: We should… we
can… you can check with the
mission, or we can check with
the mission. But I
don't… Inner City Press: Is he
still in town? How long
was Mr. Shearer in town?
Spokesman: "I don't
know." And six hours later,
nothing. The continuing
failure of the UN's billion
dollar mission in South Sudan
was exemplified when Inner
City Press asked about
censorship and new attacks,
and the UN had nothing,
nothing at all. See
the UN's June
9 transcript
, and below. This
has continued, most recently
with UN Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric answering only three
of Inner City Press' 21
written questions. Now on
September 6, the US has announced:
"the Department of the
Treasury announced targeted
sanctions on two South
Sudanese government officials
and one former official for
their roles in threatening the
peace, security, or stability
of South Sudan, and three
companies that are owned or
controlled by one of those
individuals. Treasury
also released a Financial
Crimes Enforcement Network
Advisory alerting U.S.
financial institutions to the
possibility that certain South
Sudanese senior political
figures may try to use the
U.S. financial system to move
or hide proceeds of public
corruption.The measures taken
today against Malek Reuben
Riak Rengu, Michael Makuei
Lueth, and Paul Malong Awan
make clear that the U.S.
Government will impose
consequences on those who
expand the conflict and derail
peace efforts." On August
22, Inner City Press
asked UN Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric, UN transcript
here:
Inner City Press: in
South Sudan, it's said that
the Government is not letting
UN planes use the, the Juba
airport due to a disagreement
about the UN's role in running
the airport. Is that the
case, and… and is it in any
way hindering the deployment
of the new forces, the…
Spokesman: My, my
understanding is that that
issue has been, has been
resolved, the issue of the,
the issue of the
airport. The mission's
flights resumed yesterday
after having been temporarily
grounded due to the
non-issuance of security
clearances. Inner City Press:
And so it's, it's resolved,
meaning that the UN has no
role in running the airport.
Spokesman: Well, it's
resolved in the sense that the
UN, the UN is receiving the,
the flight clearances.
We, obviously, apply for
flight clearances to the South
Sudanese authorities as we
would do, it's, we don't
control the airspace.
It's a sovereign State.
We, like anyone else, need to
get flight clearances.
So whatever issue that existed
has now been resolved.
Back on
August 7, Inner City Press
asked Dujarric about the
taking of Pagak, how many
civilians had fled. Despite
the billion dollar UN mission
in the country, UN Spokesman Dujarric had
no information at all. It was
only on August 9, and only
when Inner City Press asked
him again, that Dujarric had
anything. From the UN transcript:
Inner City Press: And Pagak?
Spokesman: And
what? Sorry?
Inner City Press: Pagak, in
South Sudan, I’d asked you
whether UNMISS (United Nations
Mission in South Sudan)… what
they believe… what they think
about this takeover of the
town by Salva… you know, the
Government forces.
Spokesman: I think we…
the Mission tells us that
they’ve received reports from
multiple sources that Pagak
came under the control of
Government troops on
Sunday. Fighting over
the past several weeks has
reportedly forced thousands of
civilians to flee into
Ethiopia. There is no
information on casualties that
we’ve received, but the
Mission continues to try to
gather more information.
On July
20, the Troika of the US,
Norway and the UK has issued
this: "The members of the
Troika (Norway, the United
Kingdom, and the United
States) and the European Union
condemn the continuing
violence in South Sudan,
especially the Government of
South Sudan’s current
offensive against SPLM-In
Opposition (SPLM-IO) forces
near Pagak, as well as ongoing
road ambushes and attacks by
the SPLM-IO. The Pagak
offensive is a clear violation
of the unilateral ceasefire
declared by President Salva
Kiir on May 22, and calls into
question the government’s
commitment to reach peace
through the National Dialogue,
notwithstanding the sincere
efforts undertaken by the
leaders of the Steering
Committee. The Troika and EU
repeat and endorse the June 12
call by the leaders of the
Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) for
President Kiir to ensure that
his forces respect the
unilateral ceasefire, for the
armed opposition groups to
reciprocate the ceasefire, and
for all groups to allow the
unfettered delivery of
humanitarian assistance to all
those in need. We also
welcome IGAD’s announcement of
a High-Level Revitalization
Forum for the South Sudan
peace process. We call
upon IGAD to expeditiously
convene the Forum, and to
include the current principal
parties to the conflict.
Likewise, we urge all parties
to fully participate in the
Forum. The Troika and EU
agree with IGAD that the Forum
should focus on achieving a
ceasefire and resuming
political dialogue that
focuses on updating the
agreement’s timelines and
other provisions that are now
obsolete in light of the
expansion of conflict since
2015. The proliferation of
violence, displacement, and
food insecurity renders any
discussion of elections in the
foreseeable future as an
unnecessary diversion from the
primary goals of achieving
peace and reconciliation.
South Sudan’s leaders,
neighbors, and regional and
international partners must
first focus on achieving peace
in order to create the
conditions needed to hold
credible elections. To
achieve these urgent goals, we
look forward to the prompt
revitalization of an inclusive
and credible peace process by
IGAD; such progress would be
required in order for the
Troika and EU to commit
further resources to
institutions designed to
implement the agreement." On
July 7, Inner City Press
asked, transcript here:
Inner City Press: In
South Sudan, the Government
itself has expressed concern
about threats to residents of
Jonglei Province saying that
people from Equatoria should
leave or face, I guess,
death. So, I'm wondering
what is UNMISS [United Nations
Mission in South Sudan] aware
of this and what are they
doing to protect Equatorians
in Jonglei, given this public
threat.
Spokesman: Let me check
with the Mission. But,
what I mean… we have said
repeatedly and expressed our
concern at the continued
threats of violence against
civilians and the actual
violence against civilians
based on people's ethnicity.
Three days
later, the UN sent this, which
we publish in full: "In
response to your question on
South Sudan on Friday, here is
what we can say: The UN
Mission in South Sudan has
urged youth of all ethnic
groups to abide by the spirit
of President Salva Kiir’s
Independence Day speech on
Sunday in which he stated
unequivocally that 'war is not
an option.' It follows threats
made against people from the
Equatoria region who are
currently living in Bor and
then retaliatory messages
allegedly made by Equatorian
youth against Dinka Bor youth.
The Mission advocated for the
local authorities to respond
appropriately to what is a law
and order issue. UNMISS
condemns these threats and
welcomes the commitment by
local authorities to
investigate these acts of
intimidation and to take legal
action should it be
necessary." All right, then.
From June 8: Inner City Press:
I wanted to ask about this
report in South Sudan of
renewed attacks. The
rebels say that they killed
14. Some people have a
higher number. Since
there's a mission there,
what's the mission's
calculation of how many people
killed and who did it?
Spokesman:
I did not receive an update
from the mission today on the
latest findings.
Inner City Press: And
what about on this issue of
blocking foreign journalists
from reporting? Regional
groups…
Spokesman: We're looking
into it, obviously. But
I think, as I said yesterday,
we stand firmly for the rights
of journalists to report and
especially in a crisis such as
South Sudan and where the UN
has such a large presence.
Canned. The UN's South Sudan
Panel of Experts report,
obtained by Inner City Press
and put online on April 22 by
Inner City Press on Patreon
here, details among
other things asset freeze and
travel ban violations as well
as weapons sales
involving current and recent
members of the UN Security
Council. Now we publish this
internal UNMISS situation
report, leaked to Inner City
Press by insiders concerned
about the UN's cover ups given
the UN's lack of transparency
and attempts to censor,
despite the situation in South
Sudan: "“For your eyes only:
Rumbek reported that following
hostilities and revenge
killing associated with cattle
raiding in Pacong, the road
from Rumbek to Pacong (Leg of
Rumbek-Yirol road) has been
declared "Grey" effective 06
May 2017. Malakal reported
that unconfirmed information
indicates that SPLA around
Pagak are planning to launch
an offensive attack to reclaim
the area, thus the Field
Security Office is monitoring
the situation. The deployment
of additional auxiliary troops
to Aburoc (Upper Nile) has
been completed. NSTR from the
sensitive areas Leer, Pibor,
Kudok, Tonga and Kaka. SOC
DO.” When is monitoring (the
run-up to) an offensive attack
enough? UNderreported by
UNMISS: Bor - Murle attacks
and cattle raiding. We'll have
more on this. On May 5 the UN
Security Council issued a
statement about the attack on
the UN base in Leer, which did
not mention the UN's off the
book "temporary" protection
area there, see below. From
the UNSC statement: "The
members of the Security
Council strongly condemned the
attack against the United
Nations Mission in the
Republic of South Sudan
(UNMISS) on 3 May in Leer,
South Sudan. The members
of the Security Council
expressed appreciation for the
actions taken by UNMISS
peacekeepers to repel the
attack. " On May 2 Inner City
Press as UN spokesman Stephane
Dujarric about allegations
against the UN Mission itself,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: in
South Sudan, the SPLA (Sudan
People’s Liberation Army) in
Opposition is claiming that
UNMISS (United Nations Mission
in South Sudan) airlifted some
Government soldiers out while
they were in the middle of,
they say, attacking
non-Dinkas, and so they’re
questioning the
impartiality. But also,
I just wanted to get from you,
did UNMISS… has UNMISS moved
SPLA soldiers? And, if
so, why? They also say,
more generally, that… that…
that the UNMISS is not
investigating the actions of
its own peacekeepers that may
harm people.
Spokesman: I don’t
really understand that last
part. I think UNMISS
through… if you look… if you
look at what the Mission has
done through the [Patrick]
Cammaert report and others, I
think we’ve been as
transparent as possible into
the activities and the work of
the peacekeepers and flagging
the issues that may rise when
they have. On your sec…
on your first question, we’re
aware, we’ve seen the reports,
and we’re looking into it
currently.
Six hours
later, nothing. The UN Mission
UNMISS, which has yet to
address the issues in it, put
out this statement: "The first
elements of the Regional
Protection Force (RPF) of the
United Nations Mission in
South Sudan (UNMISS) have
started to arrive in the
country. The RPF Headquarters
has already been established
in Juba under the leadership
of Brigadier General Jean
Mupenzi from Rwanda. In
addition, an advance party of
a Construction Engineering
Company from Bangladesh
arrived on 20 April bringing
essential equipment to begin
the preparation of
accommodation and working
areas for the RPF in Juba.
Regional troops from Rwanda
will follow in June and July.
Some other specialist
capacities which are
unavailable in the region will
be provided by troop
contributing countries from
other UN Member States
including Nepal and Pakistan.
In line with UN Security
Council Resolution 2304 (2016)
and in cooperation with the
Transitional Government of
National Unity, the 4,000
peacekeepers of the RPF,
commanded by Brigadier General
Mupenzi, will be based in Juba
to bolster the Mission’s
capacity to advance the safety
and security of
civilians.
The Transitional Government of
National Unity confirmed its
unconditional consent to the
deployment of the force in a
communiqué to the UN Security
Council on 30 November 2016.
The RPF will provide
coordinated protection to key
facilities in Juba. It will
also provide protection to the
main routes into and out of
the city. It will
strengthen the security of UN
protection of civilians’ sites
and other UN premises.
The deployment of the RPF, to
be staged over coming months,
will free existing UNMISS
peacekeepers to extend their
presence to conflict-affected
areas beyond Juba."
The Experts
report for example states that
" an IL-76 transport aircraft
departed from Kharkiv,
Ukraine, on or about 27
January 2017, bound for
Gulu, Uganda. The
aircraft manifest indicated
that it contained two L-39
jets and engines
provided by Musket OU, a
company based in Tallinn, that
had been overhauled and
that the flight was operated
by the Ministry of
Defense of Ukraine"
The report also states: "128.
The Panel has recently
received documentation from a
confidential source that
details a contract, signed in
June 2014 by two National
Security Service officers,
for a company based in
Seychelles to provide weapons
to the Internal Security
Bureau of the Service, headed
by Akol Koor. The contract sum
is for $264 million,
covering a very large
quantity of heavy weapons,
small arms and ammunition.
Among the items listed are:
(a) 30 T55 tanks;
(b) 20 ZU-23
anti-aircraft weapons;
(c) 5,000 rounds of T55
tank ammunition;
(d) 10 BM-21 “Grad”
rocket systems;
(e) 10,000 122-mm M21OF
missiles;
(f) 3,000 S8 rockets for
MI-24 helicopters;
(g) 20 million rounds of
7.62x39-mm ammunition;
(h) 50,000 AK-47 assault
rifles;
(i) 12,000 RPG-7 rounds.
129. The Panel is
investigating this order to
establish whether it was
executed as outlined."
Also referenced are sales from
"Egypt and Middle East
for Development for the
provision of 'Panthera armored
vehicles.' The number of
vehicles and the technical
specifications are not
outlined in the contract, but
the stated value of the
contract was $7,187,500.
The company contracted
to provide the vehicles is
registered in Egypt and
based in Cairo. The Panel has
established that an individual
involved with the
company has extensive
connections with senior SPLA
personnel. The
individual outlined these
connections to the Panel and
confirmed that he had
facilitated meetings in
Lebanon in 2015 for a
delegation of South
Sudanese military officers
working for Malong."
The report refers to the
"Spanish investigation" --
Spain only recently came off
the Security Council,
after misusing its two
years. As to asset freezes and
travel bans, Peter Gadet took
an ownership stake in a
trading company, and was in
Khartoum at the time of
the report, according to the
UN Experts. On April 26 Inner
City Press asked the new
affable UN SRSG David Shearer
about the weapons; he deferred
back to the Panel, noting that
UN Radio had recently cleared
Egypt of flying in jets.
Periscope of Q&A here.
Similarly, he said he was
unaware of any borehole damage
or power wire cutting by SPLA
in Leer, while saying the UN
does not want to "attract"
people to its off the books
Protection Area there. We'll
have more on this. With UN
Peacekeeping facing budget
cuts, it still cannot get it
together to report on abuses
by governments, like the Salva
Kiir government in South
Sudan, even abuses to it own
peacekeepers. In South Sudan
Inner City Press is informed,
including by a UN
whistleblower, that the UN
learned that Kiir's SPLA
soldiers intentionally
destroyed the pipe from the
drinking water borehole, and
the power cable, that supply
the UN Troop Contributing
Country “Temporary Operating
Base” in Leer. Cutting off
water, to peacekeepers, is a
war crimes. But today's UN
says nothing. On April 10
Inner City Press asked the
UN's holdover spokesman
Stephane Dujarric for UN
Peacekeeping chief Jean Pierre
Lacroix to hold a question and
answer session (and not just a
private drinking or “toasting”
session with selected scribes)
and Dujarric laughed it off.
Dujarric then refused to take
Inner City Press' question
about Burundi, another UN
failure, after engaging
in a long back and forth about
“Sex in the City.” This is
today's UN. We
note that
Lacroix is
slated
mid-week to
only selected
correspondents,
those to whom
Dujarric
without any
written notice
lent "his"
briefing room,
raise a glass,
apparently off
the record: “a
meet and greet
with the new
Under-Secretary-General
for
Peacekeeping
Operations,
Mr.
Jean-Pierre
Lacroix, on
Wednesday,
April 12th
from 5:00 -
6:00
pm...Please
attend for a
toast to
welcome the
new USG.”
Presumably
with drinking
water (unlike
the
peacekeepers
in Leer) and
more.
We'll have more on Leer, and
more on Wau as well. Watch
this site.
Nor will the UN
answer questions, including on
ethnic cleansing. On April 10
Inner City Press asked UN
holdover spokesman Stephane
Dujarric, Video
here, UN transcript
here: Inner City
Press: I saw this, the
note of correspondents from
UNMISS talking about this
ambush. It's sort of
implying that it began with an
ambush of the army, and then
the army fought back.
But, I've also seen an e-mail
from… in UNMISS that the SPLA
[Sudan People’s Liberation
Army] was using tanks as early
as 7 a.m. on Saturday on this
road to Bagari. So, I
wanted to know, I guess it
gives rise to, like, if the
UN… if the UN is going to now
come out and say they were
ambushed, were they, in fact,
advancing on… on enemy
positions with tanks…?
And, if so, what… what sort of
is the… UNMISS's reporting, I
guess, procedure…?
Spokesman: I… you,
obviously, have access to
e-mails that I don't. My
sense and my hope is that the
information that is verified
is then reported on. I
can only go by what the
Mission told me. I
would, if you have further
questions for them and
details, I would urge you to
get in touch with them
directly. Our concern,
obviously, is for the status
of the civilians in the area
who are, once again, caught in
fighting. I mean, as you
said, we've already seen 16
bodies in the hospital, a
small increase in the number
of people who are seeking, who
are seeking shelter. So,
we'll have more patrols in the
coming days. And, as
we're able to report, we shall
do so.
Inner City Press:
Overall, can… overall, does
the UN believe that… that…
that this and other incidents
involve the, the
Dinka-dominated Government and
its associated militias…
trying to conduct ethnic
cleansing of other groups… in
South Sudan?
Spokesman: I'm not… I'm
not in a position to say that
one way or another.
Inner City
Press published this leak from
the UN in South Sudan:
"Security Event: April
7: SPLA movement of
artillery and tanks towards
Baggari (30-40km to SE of Wau
town) began Friday evening
around 1800 and currently
ensconced in the Matadu area
on the outskirts of Wau town.
SPLA began shelling (using
tanks) as of 0700 Saturday and
it continued for an hour,
stopping for an hour, before
starting again. SPLA have also
blocked the road from Wau to
Baggari. Unconfirmed news that
helo gunships were in route as
back up from Juba
Headquarters. No response yet
from the SPLA-IO because
supposedly the SPLA have not
crossed into Baggari yet, but
could expect preparation for
what seems like inevitable
clashes. April 6: An
armed engagement between
unidentified groups was
reported in Majok area, Wau.
No information on casualties
was received. April 4: About
18:00 hours in Wau, drivers of
UNMISS contracted trucks
travelling from Juba to Wau
witnessed heavy fighting
between SPLA and alleged
unknown armed group in Mapel
(about 30 kilometers from
Wau). The SPLA at the
checkpoint in Mapel allowed
the drivers to proceed after
paying a fee and they arrived
at UNMISS Field Office at
about 20:30 hours unharmed.
However, they reported that
they saw about four corpses
lying along the road at the
scene of the fighting. April
3: unknown armed men
operating in Kuajena area
attacked and killed one SPLA
officer in the vicinity of
Mapel; on 04 Apr 17, some
armed cattle keepers launched
an attacked on a local
population April 2: During
evening hours in Wau, armed
clashes were reported between
SPLA and an unknown armed
group in the area of Kuajena
about 80 kilometers south-east
of Wau Town. The incident took
place on the road between Wau
and Tonj (Warrap) and casualty
figures are not known."
Hour after
publishing the above, and a
review of Antonio Guterres'
first 100 days including on
South Sudan, UNMISS issued
this: "The UN Mission in South
Sudan (UNMISS) has been
informed that a number of
government SPLA soldiers were
killed in an ambush on Sunday
to the south of the town of
Wau in the north-west of the
country.
Fighting then spread to Wau.
The Mission mounted two
patrols into Wau on Monday and
said it had observed the
bodies of 16 civilians in a
hospital. There were ten
people who had been injured.
Additional patrols are planned
for Tuesday.
Eighty-four people have
arrived at the UNMISS POC
site, while an influx of at
least 3,000 people at a
Catholic church in the town,
mostly women and children, has
been reported.
The fighting follows the
movement of SPLA troops, tanks
and equipment towards the
south-western part of Wau late
last week."
On
April 4, Inner City Press at
the day's UN noon briefing
asked, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press:
Thought you might have
something at the top on this
attack by the South Sudanese
army on Pajok inside South
Sudan, leading to, they say,
3,000 refugees crossing the
border. What's the UN
doing to protect
civilians? And does it
have any statement on SPLA
[Sudan People’s Liberation
Army] forces…?
Spokesman: We're in
touch with our mission in
South Sudan, and we're trying
to get a bit more information
on what happened. Okay.
Seven
hours later, nothing. Even
after the UN declared famine
in South Sudan, the Salva Kiir
government responded by
raising the fee on the
international NGOs fighting
the famine to $10,000 (since
dropped). Then we learned of
an UNreported "Temporary
Protection Area" next to the
UN base in Leer, kept quiet by
the UN in order to stay in
good with the Kiir
government.It is shameful -
and dangerous. On March 30,
the so-called Troika of the
US, UK and Norway issued a
joint statement, here.
Children
of families who fled Kiir
government threats and
violence and live in the UN
base in Juba were supposed to
be allowed to taken the
national secondary school test
inside the base on March 6.
But the government now says
they must leave the base to be
tested - and UNMISS and
UNICEF, which runs the schools
in the bases, have said
nothing. More cover up
for Kiir: shameful.
On March 7, after
reporting on the off the books
"Temporary Protection Area" in
Leer, Inner City Press asked
the UN's holdover deputy
spokesman Farhan Haq about it.
Video
here.
Haq said everything is
included. On March 8, Inner
City Press asked again, and
about the UN's silence on Kiir
ordering children to leave the
UNMISS camps to take tests. Video
here,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press:
I'd asked you yesterday about
this temporary protection area
near the UN base in Leer in
South Sudan. And I'm
wondering, you seemed to say
it was included in the
reports, but I still don't see
it. But, I have another
question, which has to do with
the base…
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah,
actually on that, before you
go ahead, I got this just
now. Let me just
see. And it says… yes,
the Temporary Operating Base
in Leer was established in
November 2015, following a
resurgence in violence in the
area. In consultation
with humanitarian partners who
withdrew due to insecurity,
destruction and the looting of
their premises and vital
supplies, the temporary base
was established to mitigate
against the deteriorating
situation in South and Central
Unity. Leer has a
Temporary Protected Area,
which is protected by UNMISS
[United Nations Mission in the
Republic of South
Sudan]. It not a
full-fledged protection site,
as it is not equipped with
camp managers or full
humanitarian services, neither
of which are present in
Leer. UNMISS forces have
been providing medical
services — they have delivered
48 babies — and water to the
displaced population.
The Leer Temporary Protection
Area is not represented in the
Protection of Civilians Site
Update because there are no
official figures for the
population, as our
humanitarian partners have not
conducted biometric
registration nor a reliable
head count.
Inner City Press: About
the base in Juba. I'm
told that South Sudan is
conducting a… a secondary
school test. They began
Monday. And they were
supposed to conduct them for
the students and youths living
in the camp inside the
camp. But, at the last
minute, the Government said,
no, you have to come outside
of the camp to do it.
And several hundred children
are not going out of the camp
because they feel unsafe with
the Government and its
national security service
overseeing their test.
What I'm wondering is, what is
the role of the UN in
there? I'm told that
UNICEF [United Nations
Children’s Fund] runs the
schools. Does the UN
have any comment on the
Government, at the last
minute, switching and
requiring people under the
UN's protection to come out of
the camp, their fears, and why
haven't they taken this up
with the Government?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
I'll see whether UNICEF has
anything to say with that…
about that, but you can also
check with our UNICEF
colleagues.
Question: Also
UNMISS. I mean, it's an
UNMISS Protection of Civilians
camp. So, if the
Government is ordering people
to leave UN protection camps,
isn't that of concern to
UNMISS or to even higher up in
the building?
Deputy Spokesman: We'd
have to see whether that's
what they're doing. I'm
just going by your report on
that. All right.
Have a good afternoon,
everyone.
UN
March
7 transcript here:
Inner City Press:
I wanted to ask you about
South Sudan. I’ve become
aware that there’s, next to
the UN base in Leer, something
called a temporary protection
area that has… is protecting
civilians, but it’s not
included in the… in the… this
Protection of Civilians weekly
release that’s put out by
UNMISS (United Nations Mission
in South Sudan) so… whereas
something called an adjacent
area in Wau is included.
So some people there say this
is kind of a… kind of an
off-the-books or
under-the-table. Can
you… maybe you’ll know it from
the podium or I’d actually
like you today to get an
answer whether there is a
temporary protection area in
Leer and, if so, why it was
chosen not to include it in
the… the disclosures that the
UN puts out of people it
protected? And what
would happen if people there
were actually attacked by
Government forces that they’re
seeking to flee from?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
we do disclose all of the
various Protection of
Civilians sites, as well as
adjacent areas, so that
information is provided.
Depending upon what the
facilities are, we… you know,
we provide different updates
if other areas are set
up. I don’t have any
particular information about
any site in Leer, but we can
check.
From the
UN's March 6 transcript:
Inner City Press:
Mr. O'Brien was in South
Sudan. There's a
document that's being
circulated online [h/t/ Jason
Patinkin, here]
that the Government is now
charging NGOs a $10,000
business license fee.
This comes in the wake
of the famine
determination. Does OCHA
[Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs] or
the UN have any response to
the Government increasing its
fees on groups trying to
address the drought?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
like I just said a few seconds
ago about this, Mr. O'Brien
has spoken to the press
following his visit. One
of the points he made is that
aid workers continue to face
multiple obstacles to the
delivery of humanitarian
assistance, including active
hostilities, access denials,
and bureaucratic
impediments. And the
basic point is, as he said, we
need the access and the funds
to save even more lives.
Inner City Press: Right,
so this includes this $10,000
fee?
Deputy Spokesman: It
includes all bureaucratic
impediments, yes.
With the UN speaking more
about South Sudan, including a
four-speaker press conference
on February 22 manipulated
by holdover spokesman Stephane
Dujarric, its reflexive
covering up for the Salva Kiir
government continues. Inner
City Press has been sent, by
outraged whistleblowing UN
staff, the following internal
directive, which pretends that
those robbing UN staff are NOT
in fact with the government.
Finding no answers from
"spokesman" Dujarric even to
questions on which he has been
given
an if-asked answer by
those above him in the UN
system, we publish it in full.
"Ref:
025/SB/02/23/2017 It has come
to the attention of UN
Security that criminals in
civil clothes operating in
pairs or individually and
purporting to be personnel of
Host Government National
Security are operating around
prominent supermarkets/stores
in Juba and targeting UN/INGO
personnel for harassment and
robbery. These individuals
accost unsuspecting staff
members coming out of the
supermarket and flash
identification cards as
personnel of National
Security. They immediately
accuse staff members of having
gone to change money inside
the supermarket and seek to
search the pockets of staff
members to determine if any
currency exchange has been
made or not. It is their
assessment that staff members
with more than 5000 SSP must
have changed money. Reports
received indicate that this
scenario is continuously
playing out and staff members
are falling victims to these
criminals.
The following
advisory are recommended to
ensure the safety and security
of staff:
Do not carry
large sums of money on you
whilst moving in town. Staff
members should not agree to be
subjected to bodily search
except when their lives are in
danger. Park UN
vehicles at designated car
park inside the supermarket if
one is available. Staff
members should avoid the
temptation of changing money
in supermarkets as some of
these venders may be
collaborating with the
criminals. As much as possible
avoid driving alone in town.
Staff members driving alone
are more vulnerable targets.
Always remember to drive with
doors locked and windows
closed. Never leave the car
unless forced to do so. Do not
display items (phones, laptop-
bag, handbags etc) openly in
your car. Put them on the
floor, under the seat or
preferable in the boot of
vehicle. Avoid argument
and struggle with an armed
robber. Report all security
incidents, unusual
happenings/activities, or
events to the SIOC Duty
Officer on 0922777765 or
Juliet Sierra Base immediately
and pass as much as possible
information (who, where, when)
to the duty officer."
The
UN system seems intent on
covering up the disappearance
of South South opposition
figures in Kenya, where Ban
Ki-moon made his own son in
law Siddharth Chatterjee the
UN Resident Coordinator.
On February
7, Inner City Press asked
Stephane Dujarric, Ban's old
spokesman, still speaking for
the UN, transcript
here:
Inner City Press:
You talked about South Sudan,
and I wanted to ask you, are
aware of an order among the UN
Humanitarian Air Service to
basically try to discourage
Kenyan nationals from going to
any IO-controlled territory
because of the capture of IO
officials in Kenya?
[Cross talk]
Spokesman: No...
Dujarric
referred to one of the UN
agencies the transition
process at which is entirely
murky. So here now is
the document leaked to Inner
City Press, put
on Scribd here.
UNHAS
Document Leaked to Inner City Press
Has UN Discouraging Kenyans' Travel
to SPLA-I/O Areas in South Su...
by Matthew
Russell Lee on Scribd
This comes
at a time when the failures of
Herve Ladsous' UNMISS are
being raised, including in
Washington, and is published
in light of danger and the UN
Spokesman refusing to answer
questions. We'll have more on
this.
On January 11
after South Sudan said that it
will not, in fact, accept the
4,000 new peacekeepers for the
Regional Protection Force,
Inner City Press asked UK
Ambassador Matthew Rycroft
about it. Video
here; UN transcript
here:
Inner City Press:
On South Sudan, the government
say they’re not going to take
the regional protection force.
What do you think the Council
can or should do?
Amb Rycroft: They
committed earlier to accept
the regional protection force.
They are obliged to accept it,
given Security Council
decisions, and we call on them
again to accept that regional
protection force in the
interest of longer term
stability in South Sudan.
When the
UN Security
Council members
met about South
Sudan on December
15, the best they
could do was
extend the mandate
of the UNMISS
mission for a
single day. Even
then, there was
already news of
UNMISS having
given arms to
warlord, or “rebel
general,” James
Koang.
Inner City
Press asked US
Ambassador
Samantha Power
about this on
December 16 and
she said she
hadn't read it. On
December 19, even
while fielding a
pre-picked
question on South
Sudan, Power still
refused to answer.
Video
here.
***
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