UN's New Somalia Report Cites Charcoal, Somaliland Tensions, UNSOM
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 12, 2014 -- In the advance copy of the UN's report on
Somalia, to be issued as S/2014/330, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he
is "concerned about the potential for confrontation between Puntland and
'Somaliland.' I call on both sides to avoid escalating tensions."
Many note that Somaliland, without the quotation marks Ban puts around
it, has been more peaceful than Mogadishu for some time - and that the UN
system raised tensions by, for example, handing Somaliland's airspace to
Mogadishu.
Ban's report also says he remains "concerned about the continued export of
Somali charcoal" and encourages "the Security Council Committee on Somalia
and Eritrea to list the responsible individuals and entities."
These advance copies have been known to be changed before "final" release,
in a process for which a description
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/syria1humspin042314.html> , and then
proposals for reform
<
http://www.beaconreader.com/matthew-russell-lee/from-advance-reports-to-unt
v-bans-from-western-sahara-to-access-un-lawless-gray-lady> , were provided
here <
http://www.innercitypress.com/syria1humspin042314.html> and then here
<
http://www.beaconreader.com/matthew-russell-lee/from-advance-reports-to-unt
v-bans-from-western-sahara-to-access-un-lawless-gray-lady> .
In this advance copy, Ban "strongly recommend[s] to the Council an
extension of the mandate of UNSOM for one year to 3 June 2015."
When on April 23 UNSOM envoy Nicholas Kay along with AMISOM head Mahamat
Saleh Annadif took questions at the UN, Inner City Press asked them about
the new Ugandan guard unit, about the Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group and
about Somaliland including its disputed airspace. Video here
<
http://webtv.un.org/watch/nicholas-kay-unsom-and-mahamat-saleh-annadif-amis
om-on-somalia-%E2%80%93-press-conference/3499822354001/> from Minute 14:23.
Kay said, "at the moment we're absolutely clear obviously on the
international legal position vis-a-vis Somaliland, it's not a recognized
state by anyone. But they have a very strong sense of their own statehood
and aspirations to independence."
Kay referred to the Turkey-facilitated talks between Somaliland and the
Somali government in Mogadishi, including about airspace. He said that UN
funds and programs operate in Somaliland. But UNSOM does not: Somaliland
points to the mandate it was given by the Security Council.
On the Ugandan guard unit, Kay said they will protect the UN but work with
AMISOM. But in March, AMISOM spokesperson Ali Aden Houmed was quoted by
Voice of America
<
http://www.raxanreeb.com/2014/03/somalia-uganda-says-it-will-deploy-special
-forces-to-guard-un-offices-in-mogadishu/> that "we do not have the fact of
what these forces are and they are not part of us... UN and Uganda had been
conducting 'a secret negotiation.'" Neither Kay nor Mahamat Saleh Annadif
addressed this.
On sanctions, after Kay recounted improvements in reporting and
"information" that are underway, Inner City Press asked if the Somali letter
requesting the ouster of SEMG coordinator Chopra has been withdrawn. Kay
said he has not seen the letter. Well here it is
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/som1smegicp.pdf> : Inner City Press
exclusively obtained, reported
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/sanctions3smeg120513.html> and published it
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/som1smegicp.pdf> . Has it been withdrawn?
Footnotes: Particularly in light of media freedom issues in Somalia -- and
in Somaliland
<
http://funca.info/inside-the-un/funca-in-the-field-as-somaliland-journalist
s-jailed-fight-back-by-hargeisa-funca-member-un-its-alliance-contrasted-415/
> , on which the Free UN Coalition for Access <http://funca.info/> has
worked
<
http://funca.info/inside-the-un/funca-in-the-field-as-somaliland-journalist
s-jailed-fight-back-by-hargeisa-funca-member-un-its-alliance-contrasted-415/
> -- we note that the UN on April 23 automatically gave the first question
to the UN Correspondents Association
<
http://blog.srilankacampaign.org/2012/06/long-arm-of-sri-lankan-government.
html> , a group which has tried to get the investigative Press
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/unofficials1unca061112.pdf> thrown out of
the UN. <
http://www.innercitypress.com/voavicp1un062012.pdf>
But the question by UNCA's president included how many Burundi troops are
there -- no mention of the UN's own warning about the distribution of
weapons by Burundi's government to its youth wing -- and in mistaking the US
Institute of Peace, where Kay spoke this week, with the International Peace
Institute, most recently reviewed here and here.
In April UNCA or the UN's Censorship Alliance has tried to privatize access
to the incoming South Korean presidency of the Security Council in May,
positioning itself as middle-man even after FUNCA's inquiry
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/rok1unscpriv041514.html> and RSVP find that
the statement an event is for UNCA members only
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/rok2unscpriv041614.html> , or now only
through UNCA, is false. Preaching press freedom from this UN is difficult.
Watch this site.
Received on Tue May 13 2014 - 13:58:51 EDT