In
S.
Kordofan, UN
Meets with
ICC-Indictee
Haroun, Silent
on Ethnic
Firings,
Darfur
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 22 --
With Sudan
blocking any
outside
investigation
of human
rights abuses
in Southern
Kordofan,
over the
weekend it
allowed in
certain UN
humanitarian
agencies -- so
that they
could
meet with
International
Criminal Court
indictee Ahmed
Haroum.
With
Haroun's
razor thin
election as
governor
condemned by a
just-finalized
report,
Khartoum's
goal in
belatedly
letting the UN
agencies in
appears, just
as the granted
request that
the UN fly
Haroun in a UN
helicopter to
Abyei, to be
legitimating
Haroun despite
his ICC
indictment.
Inner
City Press
asked UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
acting deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq on
Monday about
Southern
Kordofan and
about Haroun's
reported
firing of 177
Nubans civil
servants. On
the latter,
Haq
typically had
no answer,
saying he
would check
with the UN
Mission in
South Sudan --
which has no
jurisdiction
-- or with
undefined
"political
colleagues."
Perhaps
this
means UN
official Haile
Menkerios, who
approved
Haroun's two
flights
in UN
helicopters,
for
"peacemaking"
in Abyei that
obviously
didn't work.
Haq also told
Inner City
Press to
direct
questions
about killing
in Darfur by
government-aligned
militias "to
UNAMID." But
that $1
billion UN -
African Union
mission has
not
responded to
Inner City
Press'
questions:
I
was just told
to "ask
UNAMID" about
the following:
"A
sheikh
in Hamidiya
refugee camp
in Zalingei,
West Darfur
was
allegedly shot
dead on
Saturday by
gunmen loyal
to the
Sudanese
government.
Witnesses said
that the
perpetrators
shot Sheikh
Abbas
Juma Barak
twice in the
chest by a
creek between
Zalingei town
and
Hamidiya
refugee camp.
The coordinator
of the
Zalingei camps
[said]that
camp leaders
had informed
the United
Nations
African
Mission in
Darfur
(UNAMID) of
the incident."
So,
was
UNAMID told
about it? If
not, has it
sought any
corrections?
If
so, what has
UNAMID done?
Also, just to
confirm, does
UNAMID deny it
was informed
of the
following:
"Nine
(9)
gunmen riding
horses are
reported to
have looted
three (3) cars
carrying goods
and passengers
on its way
from Marchin
to east of
Jebel Marra in
South Darfur
on Monday. One
of the
passengers in
the
car [said]
“The gunmen
raped four (4)
women at
gunpoint in
front of
Nazerem in
daylight in
Ramadan.” The
passengers in
the car were
also asked to
empty the
goods and
subjected to
beating by the
armed
men. The
incident has
been reported
to the United
Nations
African
Mission in
Darfur (UNAMID)."
What
does
UNAMID say
about this?
Has it sought
any
correction? Or
done
anything?
Finally,
for
now, what is
UNAMID's
knowledge of
any attack on
any UN
affiliated
person earlier
this month in
or around Fur
Baranga in
West
Darfur?
So
far, the UN
has
denied the
last of these
three
allegations;
UNAMID denied
even
hearing about
the second,
and there has
been no
response on
the
first. We'll
see.
From
right: Haq,
Ban, then
Pascoe &
Kim, Sudan
answers not
shown
From
the UN's
August
22 noon
briefing
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: It was
said that on
Saturday, the
six UN
agencies would
have access to
Southern
Kordofan and
begin to
assess needs
there. Did
they get in
and what have
they found?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq: Yeah,
actually I do
have an update
on that
for you. One
second. The
joint mission
of the
Ministry of
Humanitarian
Affairs and UN
agencies
visited
Kadugli on 21
August,
which is
yesterday, and
met with
Governor Ahmed
Haroun. They
agreed
that the needs
assessment
plan would be
implemented
under the
guidance of
the State
Authorities.The
aim is to
assess
humanitarian
needs in order
to replenish
stocks and
deliver vital
relief
supplies.
This
humanitarian
assessment is
very urgent,
as relief
stocks are
running low.
Joint
assessments in
priority areas
throughout
South
Kordofan State
need to be
started this
week. The UN
and its
partners
stand ready to
provide
support and
call on all
parties to
enable safe
access and to
facilitate
humanitarian
operations.
Inner
City
Press: I just
want to ask
about Ahmed
Haroun. The
SPLM [Sudan
People’s
Liberation
Movement] has
said that he
has just
dismissed
177 Nubans
from civil
service in
South
Kordofan. And
they have said
this is
entirely on an
ethnic basis
and I just
wonder, since
the UN
was just
there, are
they aware of
this, do they
have any
comment on
it, do they
think it is a
good thing to
do?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq: Well,
they were
there on a
humanitarian
assessment
issue, not on
this
particular
thing. We’d
have to look
to the UN
Mission in
South Sudan to
see whether
they have any…
actually,
sorry, it
would, we’d
have to look
to our
political
colleagues to
see whether
there is any
comment about
this latest
development...
Inner
City
Press: Can I
ask one more
question? It’s
reported that,
that
a sheikh of
the Zalengei
camp in West
Darfur, Abas
Juma Barak,
was
shot by a
Government
militia. And
again, this is
one of these
stories that
says the camp
coordinator
says that they
informed
UNAMID
[United
Nations-African
Union Mission
in Darfur] of
this. So I am
wondering, is
UNAMID aware
of it? Can
they confirm
it and what
are
they going to
do about it?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
I don’t have
any
confirmation
on that, but
perhaps you
should check
with UNAMID on
it.
We'll
see how
UNAMID
responds to
the three
questions sent
to them --
more have
arisen since.
Watch this
site.
, 
