By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 2 --
In South Sudan
on the
situation in
and around the
Yida refugee
camp, the UN
continues to
disagree with
public reports
including a
quote from a
UN aid worker
that Sudan
rebels from
the the
Justice &
Equality
Movement are
there.
But
the UN has
not, it
appears,
sought any
modification
from Voice of
America, a US
state media
(which in 2012
tried to get
Inner City
Press thrown
out of the UN,
click here for
that.)
Inner
City Press has
twice asked
the UN about
reports of JEM
in Pariang;
both times,
the UN has
insisted that
its Mission in
South Sudan,
UNMISS, knows
nothing about
it.
On
January 2,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos about a quote
in Voice of
America: "An
aid worker in
Yida refugee
camp in Unity
state, who
spoke on
condition of
anonymity,
said he had
seen JEM
rebels
with armored
vehicles,
weapons and
ammunition
passing
through the
refugee camp
on their way
to Pariang on
Friday."
Amos
replied that
she didn't
know about
that specific
quote, but she
hearkened back
to UNHCR's
warnings that
Yida camp was
too close to
the border and
could be
militarized. Video
here, from
Minute 33:55.
There have
been numerous
reports of JEM
in Yida.
After
Amos'
response, UN
acting deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq cut
in to again
say that
UNMISS had no
information
about JEM in
Yida or
Pariang. Video
here from
Minute 36:51.
Thou doth
protest too
much?
Inner
City Press
also asked
Amos about
humanitarian
access in
South Kordofan
and Blue Nile
states in
Sudan. She
replied, "We
have ongoing
discussions in
Sudan with the
government and
also try talk
with
SPLM-North
about
cross-line
access. With
respect to
vaccination,
we try."
Amos
continued that
recently,
"Sudan says
there are some
further areas
we would be
able to
access, the
changing lines
you yourself
mentioned, we
have to press,
particularly
the
SPLM-North, to
gain access...
We have been
able to access
some of the
government
controlled
areas." Video
here, from
Minute 17:37.
Watch this
site.
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