In
Darfur,
UN Amos Not Meeting IDP Leaders Remains a Mystery, Politics
Alleged
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 9 -- In Darfur at first when leaders of the Al
Salam camp for internally displaced people wouldn't meet with Valerie
Amos, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator, Ms. Amos was quoted “I
hope that here is no fear.”
It seems clear the reference was to the
arrest and harassment of IDPs at the nearby Abu Shouk camp after they
met with the UN Security Council on October 8.
But
when Inner City
Press asked
the UN to explain this concern about fear, and to
describe the UN's follow up on the Abu Shouk harassment, the response
was that
“Valerie
Amos did speak to two women at the Al Salam camp. But two of her
meetings with camp elders could not take place. This failure to meet
reflects the divisions in political opinions among IDPs and their
subsequent inability to come up with an agreed message for Amos.”
Since
this blaming
of splits in the IDPs, and letting the Sudanese government off the
hook for its harassment is a noticeable strategy of UNAMID under
Ibrahim Gambari, on November 9 Inner City Press asked UN acting
Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq if the answer his office gave Inner
City Press on November 8 was from UNAMID, or from the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which Amos runs.
It
came from Amos'
office, Haq answered.
UN drives through Darfur, communication with IDPs not shown
Several human rights activists whom Inner City
Press spoke with later on November 9 said this bodes badly. “Has
Amos become part of the cover up?” asked on of them, contrasting
her unfavorably with her predecessor twice removed, Jan Egeland.
The
more
fundamental question is, why would IDPs need an “agreed message”
to speak with the UN's HUMANITARIAN coordinator? Is Ms. Amos already
perceived a political, rather than humanitarian, actor?
If
the statement
about a split in the IDPs did come from her, shouldn't this concern
her? Watch this site.
* * *
On
S.
Sudan
Referendum, EU Countries Behind on Funding Pledges, Speak of
Delay
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November
5 -- With shooting and kidnappings continuing in
Darfur, the Sudanese government has reportedly taken to conditioning
medical care in Khartoum to those from South Sudan upon their voting
for unity and not separation in the referendum scheduled for January
9.
Inner
City Press
asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky about this and kidnappings in
Darfur on November 5 and was, again, promised future answers.
Meanwhile, Inner City Press got a read out of which countries have
actually followed through on their pledges to the Basket Fund for the
referendum, and which have not.
Sweden
has
pledged $6.76 million but has so far given nothing.
Likewise,
there
has been no follow through yet on these pledges: European Union $4.23
million, Denmark $3.38 million, Australia $2.69 million.
The
UK
remains $3.87 million short of its pledge.
France
has not paid
ANY of
the mere $600,000 it pledged.
One
wonders what
these countries, which say the referendum is so important, are
waiting from. Privately diplomats from several of these countries
tell the Press that the planned South Sudan referendum will nearly
certainly have to be postponed, and that their work consists of
trying to convince the South Sudanese not to then go ahead and hold
their own referendum.
They also
express concern that once Khartoum
learns they are okay with a date later from January 9, the new date
will become a new target to go past and delay.
In S. Sudan, UK PR, France DPR, follow through on
funding not yet shown
Here
is the table
of pledges and actual contributions to the Basket Fund for the south
Sudan Referendum, followed by the UN's transcript of its November 5
noon briefing:
|
No.
|
Donor
|
Amount
($
million) Committed
|
Amount
($ million) Received
|
|
1
|
Netherlands
|
$14.00
|
$7.00
|
|
|
|
2
|
Norway
|
$4.78
|
$4.78
|
|
3
|
Canada (CIDA)
|
$6.86
|
$6.86
|
|
4
|
Sweden
|
$6.76
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
European Union
|
$4.23
|
|
|
6
|
Japan
|
$8.17
|
$8.17
|
|
7
|
DFID
|
$11.63
|
$7.76
|
|
|
|
8
|
Denmark
|
$3.38
|
|
|
9
|
Australia
|
$2.69
|
|
|
10
|
France
|
$0.60
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
$63.10
|
$34.57
|
Source: UNDP response to Inner City Press 11/10
question
UN's
transcription
of
its November 5 noon briefing:
Inner
City
Press:
there are also these reports of three pilots from a
Latvian helicopter company working for WFP [World Food Programme]
that have been taken hostage. Can you confirm that? And there seems
to be some unclarity about what country they are from or who took
them. What’s the UN going to do?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well,
I can confirm that three crew members working for the
United Nations Humanitarian Air Service contracted to the World Food
Programme, as you mentioned, were abducted in Nyala town on Thursday.
They are all Latvian nationals and are helicopter crewmen. And we
don’t have any more information at this point.
Inner
City
Press:
Thanks. The SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement]
is saying that… they have come out with an allegation that
Southerners who live in the North are being told, in Government
medical facilities, are being told they’ll only get medical
treatment if they vote for unity. I wonder if it’s something…
it’s in the Sudan Tribune and I am assuming elsewhere. I am
wondering if that’s something… I guess that would be an UNMIS
[United Nations Mission in Sudan] issue, or perhaps… whether the UN
system is aware of that allegation, what they think of it, if it is
true and what they are doing to find out if it is true?
Spokesperson:
Well,
at the very least, if they are reading the Sudan Tribune like
you, they will have seen the same reports and I would assume that
they are doing so. We will need to check whether they have further
information that was not in this Sudan Tribune. But, I don’t have
that right now.
Inner
City
Press:
Okay. No, no, I mean I am pretty sure they would be
aware of this, I just wonder if this is the type of thing that they
feel a duty to investigate to see if it’s true or to make some
statement about.
Spokesperson:
As
I say, let’s first establish what they know about it.
We'll
see. Watch
this site.
, 
