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UN Admits Kadugli Peacekeepers Refused Convoy Escort, France Downplays It

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 16 -- When the UN Security Council met behind closed doors Thursday about the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan, Sudan, much criticism was directed at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, whose troops in Kadugli reported declined to leave their base and do their jobs, as recently happened with the Zambian peacekeepers in Abyei.

After the meeting, Inner City Press asked DPKO chief Alain Le Roy about the criticism. He acknowledged that a UN battalion in Kadugli was “not willing to escort a convoy... there was heavy shelling.”

Moments later, Inner City Press on camera asked French Ambassador Gerard Araud if the Council discussed if a peacekeeper battalion declined to provide escort or come out of its base. According to the French Mission's transcript, Araud replied that

a question was specifically asked whether all the instructions had [always] been followed. Alain [Le Roy] told us 'yes, they have always been followed.' The only example - which was an example where the personnel was requested to evacuate, so it’s not a question of protection - was when the personnel hesitated for a few hours because of their own safety on the ground.”

  But Le Roy spoke about a battalion refusing to escort a convoy, presumably not only of soldiers. In fact, the UN evacuated -- or relocated, as UN OCHA put it -- international staff from Kadugli to El Obeid. In any event, refusing orders to escort a convoy is a “command and control” problem, as one Council delegation put it.

  Some skeptics wonder if the French Mission's and Ambassador's speed to speak on these issues is entirely attributable to a concern for protection of civilians, or might involve defending the performance of DPKO whose past, current and seemingly future chiefs as promised by S-G Ban Ki-moon seeking a second term are all French.


France's Araud & spokesman point finger, DPKO top post now shown

  Inner City Press asked Le Roy about the safety of Sudanese UN staff, who were not evacuated by the UN to El Obaid. Le Roy to his credit said that the UN was trying to contact all of them by radio, but had not been able to reach those in “downtown Kadugli because we have no access to downtown Kadugli.”

Some question how UNMIS can be said to be protecting civilians in Kadugli if it has “no access to downtown Kadugli.” Watch this site.

* * *

As Sudan Pulls US & UK Diplomats from UN Helicopter, Raising of Stakes?

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, June 16, updated -- When a UN Mission in Sudan helicopter landed in White Nile state, the Sudanese government took a US and a UK diplomat off the plane.

 As described to Inner City Press by a spokesman for the UK Mission to the UN, the Sudanese authorities said they had not been notified of the flight and therefore questioned its purpose and passenger list.

Inner City Press asked US Ambassador Susan Rice about a “US diplomat arrested in Sudan.” She said, “I don't think that's the right word,” and went into the Security Council for a closed door meeting about violence involving the Sudanese Armed Forces and militias and tribes they support.


A UN helicopter in Sudan

  Asked if this detention should been as a raising of the stakes by Khartoum, the UK Spokesman told Inner City Press no. He could not name another time that Sudanese authorities have similarly questioned the use of UNMIS facilities by UK diplomats, but posited that the issue was more that the UNMIS helicopter had not given notice of its landing in Magennes than the identity of the passengers.

* * *

Sudan Meeting of Security Council Postponed Amid Addis Ababa Confusion, S. Kordofan Pull Out UNcommented On

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 13 -- The UN Security Council postponed its June 10 meeting about Sudan and Abyei to the afternoon of June 13, in order to watch the weekend meetings in Addis Ababa between Khartoum's Omar al Bashir and Juba's Salva Kiir. But then the June 13 meeting was also postponed.

  US Ambassador Susan Rice tweeted, “UN Security Council watching closely ongoing negotiations on Sudan in Addis. We will meet when we can assess the outcome... SAF must immediately end fighting and abuses in Kadugli and withdraw unconditionally from Abyei.”

  Wire services were already reporting an agreement on Abyei, for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to withdraw and Ethiopian peacekeepers to go in. But sources in Addis were saying it wasn't really done, that conditions were being set.

  The stated purpose of the open Security Council meeting postponed from Monday was to have each Council member publicly make clear their position. But what about their positions on the UN's own performance?

  Inner City Press replied to @AmbassadorRice, “The only withdrawing seems to be by UN from Kadugli. What does the US Mission to the UN think of UNMIS performance there?” So far there's been no answer.


Susan Rice & French DPR in Rajaf, action on UN Kadugli pull out not shown

Here was the question as put to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky on Monday at noon:

Inner City Press: can you confirm that UN staff are being pulled out of South Kordofan? And do you have any response to the allegations by their top SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] official in South Kordofan, Al-Hilu, and his spokesmen that Egyptian peacekeepers committed rape in South Sudan and that they turned over people to the Sudanese Armed Forces who were later killed?

Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, on that very last point, allegations that UNMIS has abandoned — there were reports that we’ve seen refer to one national staff member and allegations about the UN Mission in Sudan having abandoned a national staff member who was killed, are simply completely false and baseless. The Mission will continue to provide all the protection needed to all the staff, regardless of their ethnic, religious or political affiliations. And just to be clear, UNMIS is not evacuating its personnel from Kadugli. However, the Mission started relocating civilian staff as of today to Khartoum, including nationals, because they can’t operate in the current circumstances. And an UNMIS convoy under the escort of Egyptian peacekeepers was able to reach El-Obeid with its nonessential international staff. And also, I can tell you that the Mission has extracted the majority of its national staff from town, and they are now safe in the Mission compound receiving the necessary assistance.

Question: No, no, and thanks for that. I was saying, in this Sudan Tribune, certainly over the weekend, maybe even as much as 24 hours ago, there are these quotes by Al-Hilu, who is the one who ran against Ahmed Haroun --

Spokesperson: I heard what you said, and what I have responded is the answer that I have. Okay?

Question: But they seem to be alleging different things?

Spokesperson: Well, as I have said, we sought to have guidance from the UN Mission in Sudan, and they have given as very clear guidance on what is actually happening.

Question: And one more thing on Sudan, there is… the SPLM has said that the territory of South Sudan has been bombed from the air by Khartoum using Antonov aircraft; Jau in Unity State. Is that something that UNMIS has been able to verify or deny?

Spokesperson: Well, it wouldn’t be for us to deny, I think. But to try to verify is another matter. I don’t have anything on that at the moment, but we’re certainly aware of the reports. If my colleagues have anything further, I am sure that we would be able to provide that.

  More than four hours later, no information had been provided. Watch this site.

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

Click here for Inner City Press' March 27 UN debate

Click here for Inner City Press March 12 UN (and AIG bailout) debate

Click here for Inner City Press' Feb 26 UN debate

Click here for Feb. 12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56

Click here for Inner City Press' Jan. 16, 2009 debate about Gaza

Click here for Inner City Press' review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate

Click here for Inner City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger

Click here from Inner City Press' December 12 debate on UN double standards

Click here for Inner City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics

and this October 17 debate, on Security Council and Obama and the UN.

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

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