In Darfur, UN Has No Answer on Militia, Only Whispers of Bombings
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 24, 2012 -- Darfur must be mentioned alongside the
UN's failure in Eastern Congo, where peacekeepers under the command of Herve
Ladsous did nothing as the M23 mutineers took over Goma and now other towns.
The UNAMID mission in Darfur has been left with only an interim leader for
months now. It issues good news and spin as new militias form, bombs drop,
and civilians are killed.
On November 23 Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's three
top spokespeople to "please state UNAMID's / DPKO's knowledge of and if
applicable action on allegations that North Darfur Governor Osman Youssef
Kibir is forming a private militia."
More than three hours later, it was Ladsous' spokesman Kieran Dwyer who
purported to respond. But on this, all he said was "I am looking into this."
And in the twenty hours since, no information has been provided.
In the interim, the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdelwahid Nur say they have taken
over an army base near Kebkabiya, 150 kilometers west of El Fasher where
UNAMID's headquarters are. So far, nothing from the UN about it.
Back on November 22, Inner City Press asked the UN another Darfur (or South
Sudan) question:
Inner City Press: South Sudan is saying that Sudan has bombed its territory,
it's been brewing for a couple of days where Sudan said that it was going to
bomb a rebel group that set up shop, they claimed it is in Sudan, in Darfur,
and South Sudan says it is in its territory. Since there is two peacekeeping
missions there - UNMISS, double S, and UNAMID - did this bombing take place?
What is the effect of the bombing and where did it take place?
Deputy Spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey: Well, from what I understand, the
bombing, if it took place, it took place outside of the zone where UNMISS
is, so we have no comment on that. We have no information.
Inner City Press: in South Sudan or.?
Deputy Spokesperson: I don't know. I don't have. I have seen the report you
have seen, but from what we have here. let me just check and see, one
second, we may have something here - I believe that the information that I
have is that it was outside of the zone where UNMISS is mandated to act, and
therefore, we don't have anything to say on it.
Inner City Press: UNMISS covers all of South Sudan, I don't think that there
are zones that they don't go to in South Sudan.
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, I'll have to get that information for you,
Matthew.
[The Deputy Spokesperson later said that the bombings reportedly took place
in the north of the disputed 1-1-56 boundary. That's why we can't comment.
It is out of our area of operations and that's why we haven't been able to
verify.]
This answer, referring to one of the two missions controlled by Ladsous,
was only inserted into the transcript of the briefing -- it was not emailed
or otherwise provided to Inner City Press, which asked the question.
Perhaps it was read out over the UN's "squawk" system which is piped to
the cubicles assigned to correspondents -- but this during a day of repeated
Security Council meetings on Gaza
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/gaza1stakes112112.html> and the Congo
<
http://www.innercitypress.com/ladsous1rejected112112.html> , which Inner
City Press covered not from cubicle but from Security Council stakeout,
asking questions to the Ambassadors of India, Israel, Morocco and the United
States <
http://www.innercitypress.com/gaza1stakes112112.html> .
At the Security Council stakeout, on basic questions about the UN's
failure in the Congo in the face of the M23 mutineers, Ladsous refused to
answer any Press questions, and his spokesman Kieran Dwyer openly directly
UN personnel <
http://www.innercitypress.com/ladsous1rejected112112.html>
not to give Inner City Press the microphone to ask, "Would the UN defend
Bukavu?"
This is the UN of Ladsous, and ultimately Ban Ki-moon. We'll have more on
this.
Received on Sat Nov 24 2012 - 18:43:40 EST
