As
UN Calls S.
Sudan Army
Shoot-down an
Accident,
Complaint
against
SRSG
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 21 --
After the
South Sudan
army said it
had shot
down a UN
helicopter,
killing the
crew of four
Russians, the
UN
Security
Council issued
a press
statement
calling it an
accident.
Inner
City Press
asked
December's
Security
Council
president,
Moroccan
Ambassador
Loulichki, how
it could be
called an
accident so
quickly. Video
here, from
Minute 1:48.
Several other
diplomats
noted to Inner
City Press
that if the
shoot-down had
been in Sudan,
probably the
US would have
called
consultations,
and more
strongly
condemned the
act, not
accepting it
as an
accident.
Loulichki
said
that statement
was agreed by
e-mails,
without
consultations.
He
disputed what
has been the
South Sudan
army's
explanation,
that they
asked the
UNMISS mission
if it had a
plane in that
part on
Jonglei
and was not
told yes.
A
well placed
sources in the
UNMISS mission
notes to Inner
City Press
that "the SRSG
of UNMISS,"
Hilde Johnson,
"has failed
on every
occasion to
defend the
staff of
UNMISS against
the excesses
of the
Government of
South Sudan."
The
source gave
three
examples: "the
assault
against the
chief of
human rights
of UNMISS who
was then
quietly
removed; the
human rights
officer
(Sandra Beidas
of the UK)
Persona Non
Grata-ed for
investigating
abuses by the
SPLA; and
several
incidents of
helicopters
being shot at
last year."
Much
of this is
public. But
more than a
week ago,
Inner City
Press asked
the three top
spokespeople
of Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon a
series
of questions,
including
about UNMISS:
a complaint
the SSLA
rebels
sent to
several UN
officials, and
other parties.
Because
of
the content of
the e-mail,
Inner City
Press sent it
to the UN for
denial or
confirmation
and
explanation,
and waited a
week. Perhaps
it
would have
waited longer,
if not for the
SPLA shoot
down and the
reaction. This
is a slightly
modified
version of the
complaint
Inner
City Press
asked the UN
about on the
afternoon of
December 14,
more
than a week
ago:
From:
InnerCityPress.com
To: [OSSG
three top
spokespeople]
Date: Fri,
Dec 14, 2012
at 1:59 PM
Subject:
Press
Qs: UNMISS,
UMOJA,
recruitment,
OIOS, payouts,
and again,
which
FARDC
regiments
MONUSCO has
worked with?
& Nov 28
on Minova.
Hello.
Here are
questions to
answer:
Dec14-1
What
is the UN's,
UNMISS' and
Ms. Johnson's
response to
the complaint
of the SSLA,
below?
Date:
12/09/2012
07:27 PM
Subject:
UN
Secretary Gen.
Rep. Hilde
Johnson Dating
South Sudanese
The
SSLA is deeply
disturbed to
learn from the
sources within
the UNMISS
that UN
Secretary
General
Representative,
Hilde Johnson,
is dating a
South
Sudanese. The
sources who
are in the top
UNMISS
leadership
confirmed it
that Hilde has
a South
Sudanese
boyfriend.
The
SSLA is
concerned
about the
neutrality of
Hilde since it
is now clear
that she is
dating a South
Sudanese who
is a member of
SPLM
government. We
request the UN
in New York to
investigate
this because
it is very
unethical for
UNMISS since
her decisions
will be biased
towards the
government.
SSLA
Information
Desk
Mayom, South
The
problem here
is the
perception
that Johnson
and UNMISS are
too close
to the South
Sudanese
government.
The strange
characterization
of the
shoot down and
killing of the
crew of four
as an accident
only plays
into that. The
failure to
answer the
above
question, in
any way, for
a week does
not help.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
There
were three
other
questions
asked on
December 14
that have yet
to be
answered,
which will be
reported on,
along with at
least one
related
after-arising
matter. Why
doesn't the UN
answer
questions?
The
four
questions,
including
about the SRSG
of UNMISS,
were submitted
on December 14
less than two
hours after Ban's
lead
spokesman
refused to
answer
Inner City
Press'
question, on
behalf of
the Free UN
Coalition for
Access, about
the United
Nations
Correspondents
Association:
"UNCA
has a
constitution
which requires
elections to
be held by 15
December
and the
Executive
Committee to
relinquish its
offices by 1
January,
and earlier
today it was
announced that
both of these
deadlines are
being
unilaterally
waived." Transcript
here.
Nesirky,
despite
the UN's
partnership,
refused to
answer on
this, saying
"I
do indulge
you, every
day, in fact,
and today,
also. So I
don’t
think that you
could ever
accuse me or
my Office of
not providing
you
with access
and providing
you with
answers. You
might not have
liked
the answers,
but we sit
here everyday
and answer
your
questions,
okay? So
that’s the
first thing.
The second
thing is that
I will
simply not be
involved in
your
difficulties,
meaning
between the
United Nations
Correspondents
Association
and yourself
or others."
We'll
have more on
this.
, 
