In
Sudan,
Harun Accused of 20 Murders After UN Flew Him to Abyei, Susan Rice Says
"The Concern is Constant"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 20, updated -- When the UN took to
offering free flights in
Sudan to Ahmed Harun, indicted for war crimes in Darfur by the
International Criminal, the UN
claimed Harun was indispensable to peace in Abyei.
But
last week
Harun was accused of organizing a militia to attack El-Faid Um
Abdullah, the home village of his deputy governor in South Kordofan,
Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The accusation
was made by the deputy governor
himself:
“Abdelaziz
al-Hilu accused governor Ahmed Harun, who is from a rival party and
will contest local elections against him on May 2, of 'organizing an
attack by the Popular Defence Forces on my village, El-Faid Um
Abdullah. They killed more than 20 people and burned between 300 and
500 houses in the early morning. Two women and four children were
among those who burned inside the houses,' he said.”
After
asking the
US State Department and then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's
deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, without substantive response, about the
new allegations against Harun, Inner City Press on April 20 was able
to asked the number two official in UN Peacekeeping, Atul Khare,
about it as he left a Security Council briefing about the UN Mission
in Sudan.
Khare
said that the
killing including “inter alia women and children,” in “the
village of the deputy governor.” He said the UN would be paying
more attention to the area, mentioning humanitarian issues.
But
what about
investigating Abdelaziz al-Hilu's claim that Ahmed Harun was
involved? If the UN confirmed this, could or would they keep flying
Harun around on UN helicopters? With the UN you never know.
Update of 6 pm - Inner City Press
asked US Ambassador Susan Rice if the new charges against Harun should
end the UN's flights for Harun. "He was already indicted," Rice said.
"At this point the concern is constant."
But has the
US spoken against the UN flying Harun? Inner City Press has repeatedly
asked the US Mission for a comment, without receiving any. Inner City
Press asked State Department spokesman Mark Toner, who disagreed that
the US has lost focus on Sudan. But what about the UN's flights of
Harun?
Inner
City Press
asked Khartoum's Ambassador to the UN Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman the
charges against Harun. He said this is just
an attempt to smear Harun.
Is
this a counter
allegation that the villagers did the burning and killing themselves?
Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman said “there are other aspirants.” It's time
for an investigation: but by whom?
Daffa-Alla
Elhag
Ali Osman also spoke, in French, to praise France's position on
the Darfur rebels, and defended the administrative referendum planned
by Khartoum.
Ban & Khare, murders by and flights to Ahmed Harun not shown
At
the US State
Department on April 14, Inner City Press asked spokesman Mark Toner:
Inner
City
Press: there were these attacks in South Kordofan state. They
say that the governor of the state, Ahmed Haroun, is behind an attack
on a village, killing 20, displacing 500. And so my – I guess what
I’m wondering is what is the State Department – it seems like
you’re mostly dealing with this whole Abyei-South Sudan situation
through the UN. Do you think that they’ve done enough? In fact,
they’ve flown this guy Haroun around in a UN helicopter. I wonder
if the State Department’s in agreement with that.
MR.
TONER:
Well, I reject your characterization that we’ve been hands
off on the Sudan. We just named a new envoy to the Sudan and we’ve
got a special envoy as well, Dane Smith, working Darfur issues. So we
remain actively engaged. We’re aware of the violence that’s been
ongoing there. We call on all parties to show restraint and that
everybody needs to keep implementing the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement there.
Back
up at the UN
on April 20, a self-described “Security Council member” told
Inner City Press:
“on
possible involvement by Harun in violence, the last time DPKO briefed
on Abyei violence in closed consultations and were asked directly
whether Harun was involved, they said that there was no evidence that
he had instigated any of the violence.”
Inner
City Press
confirmed that this meant a previous Council consultation on Abyei,
not the April 20 meeting. So now that Harun has been newly accused,
will anything change? Again, with the UN one never knows. Watch this
site.
* * *
UN
Has
No
Comment on Protests in Abyei of Haroun Flight, Partition of
Darfur
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March
10 -- Whether on Abyei or Darfur, despite spending
over $1 billion a year the UN has nothing to say, even as Dinka
protests confront its flights of
indicted war criminal Ahmed Haroun.
On
March 9, Inner
City Press asked
Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin
Nesirky about criticism of the UN's lack of protection of civilians
in Abyei, then about its silence on Darfur:
Inner
City
Press:
there is a report that the SPLM [Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement] has threatened to stop negotiations with the
National Congress Party about Abyei and outstanding issues due to the
violence. It’s in the Sudan Tribune article, which quotes an SPLM
leader for Abyei, saying why is the UN not taking a more active role?
Meanwhile, the Sudanese Government newspaper has said that the UN
has rejected calls to get involved, either physically… either in
the physical protection of civilians or in a way other than simply
monitoring. Is that… is the Sudanese Government accurate in saying
that UNMIS’s [United Nations Mission in Sudan] role in Abyei is
simply to monitor what some said is the destruction of 300 buildings
and three villages, or is there a physical protection role that is
being implemented there?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well,
two points. One is that you know quite well that the
UN Mission in Sudan was instrumental in bringing the sides together
just last week. And secondly, as you also know, we told you that an
additional company, on top of four companies already deployed in that
area, this additional company was being deployed there. So that is
extra boots on the ground.
Inner
City
Press:
Where were they when these… not to… obviously they
didn’t burn them, but when these villages were burned down —
there are satellite photos of the before and the after — is there
any… is the attempt of this new company to actually be physically
present to stop physical destruction or…? I am just trying to
understand what the…?
Spokesperson:
The
presence of peacekeeping personnel on the ground is supposed to
do a number of things. One is, yes, it is monitoring, two, it is to
investigate after the fact if they, if it happened somewhere a long
way from where they are positioned, and it is also to help people who
have been either attacked or need assistance for some other reason. And
we have seen that repeatedly. In this particular case, we are
aware of those reports that you referred to, and if I have any more
details on the location of the peacekeepers in relation to that, I’d
be happy to let you know.
More
than
thirty
hours later, there was no answer at all from the UN.
UN's Ban & spox Nesirky, cost of flying ICC indictee not shown
Also
on
March 9,
Inner City Press asked:
Inner
City
Press:
in Darfur, there is a lot of now criticism by the rebel
groups in Darfur that the Government on Monday proposed to add two
additional administrative states to Darfur; they are calling it a
“divide and rule” regime. I just wonder, given the UN’s role
in these negotiations, one, do they think that… what do they make
of these criticisms of divide and rule, and two, do they think that
the steps that the Sudanese Government is taking to supposedly seek
consent of people in IDP [internally displaced persons] camps are
sufficient, democratic and the things that the UN would like to see
done?
Spokesperson:
Well,
as I understand it, from the mediation, this has not been
formally communicated, this notion of establishing two extra
administrative areas in Darfur. This has not been officially
communicated to the mediation, and so they are waiting to hear more
about that, because, after all, that is one aspect of the
negotiations that are going on. They haven’t heard anything
officially yet. And if they do, I’ll be happy to let you know.
Again,
more
than
30 hours later there was no answer from the UN. And so the
next day
March 10, Inner City Press asked a follow up:
Inner
City
Press:
about this flight of Ahmed Haroun, there has been a new
report that when he was flown into Abyei that actually 400 Dinka
youth stormed the UN’s compound, angered at his presence and that
McClatchy/Miami Herald story says that [Salah] Gosh, who is this
former intelligence chief, and Haroun were evacuated by helicopter
from their visit to Abyei. So, I wanted to know, one, can you
confirm that in fact the UN flew him in and then upon protest by
youth, Dinka youth, flew him out? Is that true?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well,
I can tell you that Governor Haroun was transported
there and back again. That is correct. I have already said that. As for
what happened at the time around the location where the
meeting was being held, there were some disturbances that ended
peacefully, and if I have more details precisely on what happened,
then I’ll let you know.
Inner
City
Press:
when
it
first came up, it was presented, this is a very
positive visit, that he’d brought peace and, in fact, if 400 youth
protested him and destroyed vehicles and he left under fire, it seems
to… would the UN fly him there again?
Spokesperson:
As
I say, I would need to check on the precise details. There were
protests; that is the case. But also there was a result, in the form
of the agreement that I have mentioned before. But if I have more
detail, I’ll be happy to give it to you.
And
nine hours
later, nothing. Nothing at all. And so it goes at the UN.
, 
