In
Sudan,
UN Sees No
Reaction to
Khalil
Ibrahim's
Death, No
Answer on
His Pleas
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 28 --
The UN
confirmed the
death of South
Sudan
rebel George
Athor, and on
Wednesday
belatedly and
indirectly did
the
same with the
widely
reportedly
killing of
Darfur rebel
Khalil
Ibrahim of the
Justice &
Equality
Movement.
The UN
declined,
however, to
answer a
question about
the UN's (non)
response to
Khalil
Ibrahim's
requests
earlier this
year to be
extricated
from Tripoli.
Inner
City Press
asked the
Office of the
Spokesperson
for Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon:
"On
Sudan,
while it seems
well
established,
please state
if the UN can
and will
confirm the
death of JEM
leader Khalil
Ibrahim, if
the UN
has any
comment on the
death, and if
the UN ever
did provide
any
assistance in
getting Khalil
Ibrahim out of
Tripoli. The
UN has
responded on
the death of
George Athor -
can it now
comment who
killed Athor,
where and
how?"
Four
hours later,
Ban's
spokesman's
office replied
to Inner City
Press:
"JEM
has
confirmed that
its leader,
Dr. Khalil
Ibrahim, was
killed. UNAMID
is monitoring
the situation
in Darfur
closely and
has not seen
any
reaction on
the ground at
this point. We
do not have
further
information on
General Athor,
except to say
that the South
Sudanese
Government
said he was
killed in a
clash."
Why
no answer on
whether the UN
ever responded
to Khalil
Ibrahim's
requests?
And what
of the
observation
that following
the divorce of
Khartoum and
South
Sudan, each
has managed to
kill its
highest
profile rebel?
Are these
killings the real
"peace
dividend," or
the win-win
solution
of
sub-dividing
the state?
When
Khalil
Ibrahim was
trapped in
Tripoli and
asked UN help
to get out, no
help
was provided.
Some say the
UN, on behalf
of Khartoum,
wanted Khalil
Ibrahim dead.
By contrast,
the UN at
least twice
flew Ahmed
Haroun,
indicted for
war crimes in
Darfur by the
International
Criminal
Court, by UN
helicopter to
and from
Abyei.
(c) UN Photo
ICC-indictee
Bashir and
Ban, Khalil
Ibrahim and
pleas from
Tripoli not
shown
So
an alleged war
criminal who
is part of a
state can be
given free
flights in a
UN air
craft; a rebel
against the
state can be
left to die in
Tripoli, or
uncommented on
in North
Kordofan. Now
the UN says
that following
this death, it
"has not seen
any reaction
on the ground
at this
point." We'll
see.
, 
