In
Sudans, UN
Blind to
Destruction,
Holds Black
Box Back, No
End to
Checking
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 14 --
The UN has
three
peacekeeping
missions in
Sudan and
South Sudan,
but either
can't or won't
answer basic
questions
about what is
happening
there.
A
week ago Inner
City Press
asked a simple
question: what
happened to
the UN's
"Protection of
Civilians"
strategy in
Sudan?
Whistleblowers
told Inner
City Press
that the
UNAMID mission
showed
it to the
government in
Khartoum in
September, and
nothing's been
heard of it
since. Inner
City Press
asked, did UN
Peacekeeping
allow
Khartoum to
veto the PoC
strategy? No
answer.
Instead,
on
January 14 two
semi-responses
if not answers
came in:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Mon, Jan
14, 2013
at 12:28 PM
Subject: Your
questions on
Sudan
To: Matthew
Russell Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Regarding
your
questions last
Friday and
today about
the reported
destruction
of a village
in Darfur, the
information we
have from
UNAMID is that
the mission is
aware of these
incidents and
is presently
investigating.
Regarding
your
question last
week about the
downed
helicopter in
South Sudan:
As a matter of
policy the UN
Mission in
South Sudan
(UNMISS) will
not
comment on an
ongoing
investigation.
On this
particular
issue, the
mission is
working in
close
consultation
with the
authorities of
South Sudan
and Russia.
So
UNAMID, with a
budget over $1
billion,
cannot confirm
or deny in
three full
days the
destruction of
a village in
its coverage
area.
And while
Russia has
openly
complained
that it has
not received
the
black box from
the helicopter
in which four
of its
citizens were
killed by
South Sudan,
the UN says it
is in "close
consultation."
Inner
City Press
understands
that while the
black box was
to have been
turned over to
Russia on
January 14, it
has not been.
Meanwhile,
another
Russia
helicopter
from UT Air
has been shot
at in South
Sudan, and
Inner City
Press' Monday
question about
the village of
Rockero, which
the UN first
said the Wali
of North
Darfur said
had
been taken by
rebels, then
corrected that
to say the
Wali didn't
know.
But why
doesn't the
UN, spending
over $1
billion, know
or say
more? Watch
this site.
, 
