In
Sudan, AU
Recommended
Postponing
Election, Now
UN Silence
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
14, more
here --
With Sudan's
elections such
as they are
taking place,
amid boycotts,
Inner City
Press on April
13 asked the
UN Spokesman
if there was
any UN comment
or role:
Inner
City Press:
about Sudan, I
saw the
Secretary-General's
comment about
the national
dialogue but
now that the
election has
begun and many
people —
basically the
opposition
parties are
all boycotting
it. Is
there any role
by the UN
country team
there?
Spokesman:
Not that I'm
aware of.
Now on April
14 copies of
the African
Union's Pre-Election
Assessment
Mission to
Sudan went
online (here
and h/t,
h/t),
saying that
the AU mission
consulted "stakeholders
in Sudan from
2 to 9 March
2015. The
stakeholders
consulted
included
representatives
from NEC, the
Ministry of
Foreign
Affairs,
political
parties,
candidates,
civil society,
media, women’s
groups,
Political
Party Affairs
Council, Human
Rights
Commission,
Parliament,
AU/UN Hybrid
Operations in
Darfur
(UNAMID),
United Nations
Development
Programme
(UNDP), AU
Liaison Office
to Sudan, Arab
League, IGAD,
African
Ambassadors,
and European
Union (EU) and
‘Troika’ (US,
UK and Norway)
Ambassadors."
Speaking
of UNAMID,
Inner City
Press on April
14 asked the
UN's expert on
Sexual Violence
and Conflict Zainab
Bangura about
the Mission's
cover up of
rapes in Tabit
in Darfur; she
replied among
other things
that she has
raised it to
the AU.
The AU
report
concluded:
"The
overwhelming
demand of
stakeholders
is that
elections be
held after a
comprehensive
national
dialogue
process that
would address
not only the
numerous
challenges
facing Sudan
but also
creates an
enabling
environment
for the
conduct of
genuine and
inclusive
electoral
process. Based
on its
findings and
assessment,
the
pre-election
assessment
mission
concludes that
the necessary
conditions and
environment
for the
holding of
transparent,
competitive
and credible
elections as
agreed in the
AU principles
governing
democratic
elections have
not been
satisfied."
But it is
going ahead.
And what has
the UN said?
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,
the UN in
December said
it would fight
to keep its
Resident
Coordinator
Ali Al Za'tari
in the
country.
That was the
UN's response
to Za'tari
being ordered
to leave Sudan
by January 2,
Inner City
Press first
reported.
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.
But did the UN
follow through
on its vow to
push-back? No,
the UN
remained quiet
when it ended
up replacing
Za'atari, as
Inner City
Press noticed
and asked
about on March
31, video
here,
transcript
below
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to go
back to Sudan,
because
remember there
was that
standoff about
the Resident
Coordinator
Ali Za’atari,
who has said
that the UN is
standing
behind him and
he won’t be
PNG’d, and I
saw an
announcement
that on March
21st, a new
Resident
Humanitarian
Coordinator
began work in
Khartoum, Mr.
Mustafa Bin Al
Malih.
And so what
happened?
And why didn’t
the UN
announce that
they removed
Mr. Za’atari
as Resident
Coordinator?
Deputy
Spokesman:
We pressed for
them to
continue with
Mr. Ali
Za’atari and
they continued
with their
objections.
Ultimately we
do need to
have somebody
on the ground
to do the
work, although
we do not
accept that
our impartial,
neutral
experts did
not get
permission to
be on the
ground to do
their work.
Inner City
Press: And has
Yvonne Helle
also been
replaced as
the
representative
of UNDP in the
country?
Deputy
Spokesman:
I believe Ms.
Helle left
some time
ago. She
was already
out of the
country when
they took the
decision so I
believe
there’s a
process in
place to make
sure that the
work is done.
Back
on December 25
after another
inquiry by
Inner City
Press to
Dujarric and
UNDP, 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 filed a
protest. But
what about the
UNFPA case in
April, and
aother one, in
Darfur, which
Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported on in
December?
On
March 31,
Inner City
Press also
asked on
Myanmar:
Inner
City Press: I
heard your
statement on
behalf of or
by Mr. Nambiar
praising the
country.
I just wanted
to know:
has he or
anyone else in
the UN system
have anything
to say about
the filing of
criminal
charges
against the
students who
protested the
national
education
law? A
number of…
even some
countries have
[inaudible]
this standoff
in March where
the peaceful
demonstrators
have been
arrested.
Now the
charges have
been filed,
they haven’t
been
released.
Is there any
follow-up by
the UN on
that?
Deputy
Spokesman:
We’ll check
with Mr.
Nambiar what
he has to say
on that.
Six hours
later and
counting,
nothing.
On Sudan back
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.
, 
