UN's
Ban Speaks
After Sudan
Ordered UN's
Helle &
Za'tari Out,
What of
Darfur?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow up on
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 25, more
here --
Amid charges
that the UN in
Sudan,
including
Herve Ladsous'
UN
Peacekeeping
in Darfur, has
colluded with
the
authorities in
Khartoum to
cover up rapes
and killing,
now the UN's
Resident
Coordinator
Ali Al Za'tari
has been
ordered to
leave Sudan by
January 2,
Inner City
Press first
reported
earlier today.
Inner City
Press
similarly exclusively
reported,
and asked
the UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about,
Sudan's ouster
of UNDP
Country
Director
Yvonne Heller
on December
24. After
another
inquiry by
Inner City
Press to
Dujarric and
UNDP on
December 25,
Dujarric sent
this:
From:
Stephane
Dujarric [at]
un.org
Date: Thu, Dec
25, 2014 at
1:31 PM
Subject: Re:
Press request
on Sudan
PNG-ing Yvonne
Helle (asked
Dec 24) &
now Dec 25 Ali
Al-Za'tari
To: Matthew
Lee [at]
InnerCityPress.org
Cc: UNDP,
funca [at]
FUNCA.info
Matthew, The
UN has filed a
protest with
the government
of Sudan
following
their decision
to request the
departure of
two senior UN
officials from
the country.
So the
UN has filed a
protest. But
what about the
UNFPA case in
April, and
this one, in
Darfur, which
Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported on
earlier today?
Later at 7:20
pm the UN sent
this out, a
statement:
"The
Secretary-General
condemns the
Government of
Sudan's
decision to
expel the
United Nations
Resident
Coordinator
and
Humanitarian
Coordinator
and the
Country
Director of
the United
Nations
Development
Program. The
sanctioning of
United Nations
personnel sent
to Sudan to
carry out
their duties
in accordance
with the
United Nations
Charter is
unacceptable.
The
Secretary-General
calls on the
Government of
Sudan to
reverse its
decision
immediately
and urges it
to cooperate
fully with all
United Nations
entities
present in
Sudan."
It's worth
noting that
Za'tari was
fine with
Sudan throwing
out Yvonne
Helle on
December 24. It
now appears he
was trying to
saving himself,
as Sudan had
been complaining
about an
interview he
gave with a
Norwegian
newspaper,
referring to
Omar al Bashir
as being indicted
with the International
Criminal
Court. We'll
have more on
this.
Earlier this
Fall, Sudan's
security
agency NISS
ordered a UN
humanitarian
staffer to
leave El
Fasher in
North Darfur,
Inner City
Press is
exclusively
informed.
She left, to
Khartoum --
where NISS
"harassed"
her, ordering
her to return
to El Fasher
and
"apologize" to
a NISS
official
there.
Ultimately she
left Sudan.
Nothing was
said, as with
an earlier
case in April
(on which
we'll have
more;
questions are
pending to
spokespeople
who cite the
holiday). This
is today's UN,
under Ban
Ki-moon and
Herve Ladsous,
Helen Clark
and, until
now, Ali
Al-Za'tari.
On December
24, Inner City
Press
similarly exclusively
reported
and then asked
the UN
Spokesman
about UNDP
Country
Director
Yvonne Helle
being ordered
out of Sudan,
citing her and
Al-Za'tari's
e-mails. Video
here.
A full day
after that,
Reuters
reported on
Helle's ouster
-- typically,
for Reuters, with
no credit
to the Press'
prior
exclusive
story.
(Reuters' UN
bureau chief
has said he
has a policy
of not
crediting
Inner City
Press'
exclusive, and
has gone to
far as to
censor,
Sudan-style,
his "for the
record"
anti-Press
complains to
the UN, click
here for that,
via EFF's
ChillingEffect.org).
On December
24, Inner City
Press asked UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
Sudan
having just
similarly
"PNG-ed"
or declared
persona
non-grata the
Sudan Country
Director of
the UN
Development
Program Yvonne
Helle, with
Za'tari barely
pushing back
against the
government.
Dujarric said
that host
countries'
ordered to PNG
a UN staff
member are
treated
seriously and
should be sent
to, and
considered and
acted on by,
Ban's
Secretariat in
New York. But
Dujarric in
the 18 hours
after Inner
City Press
asked about
Helle has not
returned with
any
information or
answer. Then
Reuters
published its
story, with no
credit.
Watch
this site.
, 
