As
Tanzanian
Says Migiro
Out as UN DSG,
Malcorra
"Awkward"
Amid S. Sudan
Scandal?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 21 --
For months
Asha-Rose
Migiro has
tried for a
second term as
Deputy
Secretary
General of the
UN, asking the
African
Group of
nations to
pressure Ban
Ki-moon to
keep her on.
But just as
Ban ignored
African Group
requests to
appoint a full
time Special
Advisor on
Africa, now
Tanzanian
officials are
saying Migiro
is
"coming home;"
Ban has
rebuffed
Migiro's and
the African
Group's
requests.
Inner
City Press
has for
months,
including specifically
on November 25,
been reporting
that Ban had
tabbed former
corporate
executive
Susana
Malcorra to
replace
Migiro.
The argument
made to
Inner City
Press by Ban
insiders is
that Malcorra
is still a
"woman
of the
developing
world," being
from
Argentina. As
if to prove
it, in late
December
Malcorra
incongruously
took on roles
during late
night budget
negotiations
for the
developing
world Group of
77 and
China.
But
events this
year in South
Sudan, where
as head of the
UN Department
of Field
Support
Malcorra was
largely in
charge of
ensuring
continuous
coverage for
the UNMISS
peacekeeping
mission there
of military
helicopters,
make handing
Migiro's post
to Malcorra
awkward,
several
member states
told Inner
City Press.
The
Russians told
the UN in mid
November that
they would no
longer fly
their
helicopters in
South Sudan.
Malcorra's DFS
belatedly
handed the
Russians a
substantially
amended Letter
of Assist,
which the
Russians
rejected and
never signed.
When
violence
broke out in
Jonglei State,
and as they
had said the
Russian
helicopters
would not fly,
attempts were
made by the UN
to still
claim they had
responded
appropriately.
UNMISS deputy
Lise Grande
held a
briefing but
never
disclosed the
lack of
helicopters
and of
what Malcorra
later
described to
Inner City
Press on
the record as
"lethal assets
to dissuade"
attacks on
civilians.
Once
Inner City
Press on
January 11
exclusively
reported that
the UN had
left South
Sudan without
military
helicopter
coverage from
mid November
into
January,
pushbacks and
then attempts
at reputation
repair began,
complete with
stealth
interviews
& spin.
Ban
in a January
18 speech put
the entire
blame on the
Russians,
saying that a
Security
Council member
had refused to
serve. Ban's
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky, who
repeatedly
told Inner
City Press
that countries
routinely
continuing
flying even
with expired
Letters of
Assist, on
January
20
answered Inner
City Press
that things in
South Sudan
were
not as "smooth
as we would
have
wanted."
So who then is
responsible?
(c) UN Photo
Migiro gets
handshake from
incoming
Malcorra,
Pibor not
shown
During
an otherwise
quiet moment
in front of
the Security
Council this
month, the
representative
of another
major troop
contributing
country
complained
to Inner City
Press that
under Malcorra
DFS has gotten
"very
sloppy" with
paperwork; the
representative
unprompted
opined
that Malcorra
has been using
DFS as a
"springboard"
to
become DSG.
"She doesn't
care," the
representative
told
Inner City
Press,
"Malcorra is
like a bird,
she if flying
on. She is out
of synch with
what the UN is
about, but so
is Ban who
will promote
her."
So
what WAS Ms.
Malcorra's
role as head
of DFS in the
lack of
military
helicopters in
South Sudan
for more than
six weeks and
at what Ban
called the
critical
moment? This
is a question
that should be
answered, and
would
be answered in
most well run
systems BEFORE
any Malcorra
promotion to
DSG, and
without
pushback
against the
press raising
the obvious
question. But
is this UN a
well run
system? We'll
see.
Footnote:
perhaps
because it is
"awkward" to
drop Migiro
for Malcorra
at this time,
news that
Malcorra would
return to
Tanzania came
not
from New York
but rather the
permanent
secretary in
the Tanzanian
ministry of
Foreign
Affairs and
International
Cooperation,
Mr John
Haule, who said,
"We have not
received an
official
document from
the UN, but
I’m aware that
her tenure is
almost ending.
She also
confirmed this
development on
Thursday,"
January 19.
Watch this
site.
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