In
Sudan,
UN Mission Rebuffs Human Rights Complaints, Vets Statements With
Bashir Government, Sources Say
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 1 -- The UN Mission in Sudan rebuffs human rights
protection outside of normal business hours, and runs its press
releases by Khartoum's “humanitarian affairs” minister, Inner
City Press has been told by sources. The UN in New York has neither
confirmed nor denied, despite more than 24 hours lead time
On
August 31,
Inner City Press asked
the spokesman for Ban Ki-moon, Martin Nesirky,
the following:
Inner
City
Press: On Sudan, I wanted to ask two things about UNMIS,
actually. So they’re about South Sudan and/or Khartoum. I’ve
been told that in two recent incidents, for example there was the
Girifna activist, the youth activists that were arrested by the
Government, for being pro-democracy. That, in fact, they called the
UN. They called UNMIS and asked for to be, when they were surrounded
by the national NISS, and were told that UNMIS would only respond
during normal office hours and in turn were arrested.
In another
incident, a Darfuri student was in the morgue, having been, it’s
alleged, tortured to death. The UN was told to come to the morgue
and witness this, and was told it was Friday and a holiday and would
not come. So, I’m just wondering, does UNMIS have a policy of not
responding to even alleged torture deaths on weekends? And why is it
that Mr. [Haile] Menkerios, as much of the press corps in Khartoum
and Juba are complaining, has only had a single press conference and
says there’s no need to, actually. I mean that’s a separate one. People
there are unable to get an answer. I guess if you can get an
answer from UNMIS, if it’s true they didn’t respond and, if they
didn’t, why they didn’t respond to these two very troubling human
rights incidents.
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I think colleagues have heard this just as I have and I’m
sure we’ll be contacting UNMIS to see what kind of response there
is and to what extent there is anything to these reports and, if so,
what that response is.
Twenty
four hours
later -- and not over a weekend, in either New York or Khartoum --
the UN had provided no response. (Inner City Press had previously
asked about the Girifna activists, without yet knowing the full
extent of the UN's inaction.) So at the September 1 noon briefing,
Inner City Press asked Nesirky's acting deputy Farhan Haq about the
previous day's questions, as well as a new outrage from yet another
source, that UN Humanitarian Coordinator Georg Charpentier now vets
his press releases with Sudan's Humanitarian Affairs minister before
releasing, late and newsless.Video here,
from Minute 15:46.
UN's Georg Charpentier, checking with Sudan gov't not shown
Haq
said he
forwarded this question to the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, which is in between departed chief John Holmes
and his successor, Baroness Valerie Amos. Inner City Press went to
Haq's office to ask for some belated answer to the previous day's
UNMIS questions. Minutes later, Inner City Press received this (non)
response, or implicit confirmation:
Subject:
Your
question on human rights and the UN Mission in Sudan
Date:
Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 1:15 PM
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply
<unspokesperson-donotreply [at] un.org>
To: Matthew.Lee [at]
innercitypress.com
Regarding
your
question at the 31 August noon briefing:
We
can
assure you that the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) works seven days
a week.
On
the
question of human rights abuses, UNMIS takes the issue very
seriously. We have no further comment at this time on specific cases.
Watch
this site.
* * *
At
UN,
As
Sudan Admits Expulsions Are For Rape Detection, Offers Jebel
Marra Access
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August
23 -- After three weeks of blockade of the Kalma Camp
in Darfur, the Security
Council on Monday issued weak “elements to
the press” calling for the camps to be demilitarized.
Inner
City
Press asked Council president Vitaly Churkin of Russia if this means
the Council supports the government of Sudan's demand to be included,
with the UN, in patrols of the camps.
“There was some
discussion of that,” Churkin replied, adding that the “bottom
line” is that the camps are “supposed to be demilitarized.” He
said he wouldn't like to go into detail about how that would be
accomplished. Video here,
from
Minute 1:39.
The
UN-African
Union envoy Ibrahim Gambari, according to at least six high profile
residents of the Kalma Camp, threatened to turn them over to the
government of Sudan unless they agree to and support government
patrols of the camp. (The UN denies that Gambari made this threat.)
Inner
City
Press
asked new Sudanese Permanent Representative Daffa-Alla Alhag Ali
Osman if his goverment expects the UN Mission UNAMID to turn the six
over. He said yes, that Gambari is “collaborating” with the
government and that after discussing “modalities, the hand over
will take place.” Video here,
from
Minute 5:43.
Inner
City
Press
asked him about the expulsion of UN officials from West Darfur, and
about the exclusion of the UN and NGOs from Jebel Marra. Daffa-Alla
Alhag Ali Osman said that if anyone violates their agreement with the
government, measure will be taken.
Inner
City
Press
asked, Was this for collecting signatures for an anti-hunger
petition, and distributing rape detection kits? Daffa-Alla Alhag Ali
Osman admitted, “Most probably this is the accusation directed to
them.” Video here,
from
Minute 8:18.
Strangely,
when
Inner
City Press asked if it isn't precisely the UN's job to
distribute rape protection kits, Daffa-Alla Alhag Ali Osman said that
while the government is also concerned, it will not acccept that
“some want to promote this culture.” What - the culture of rape
detection?
The
UN, meanwhile,
has refused to comment on why its personnel were told to leave. The
UN Spokesperson's office says it is still under discussion, while
OCHA says it is not authorized to speak.
On
the Jebel Marra
exclusion, Daffa-Alla Alhag Ali Osman blamed it on the Abdel Wahid
faction and the “instability” it causes. Inner City Press asked
if the UN is free to enter Jebel Marra. Daffa-Alla Alhag Ali Osman
said it was preferred the UN coordinate with the government.
“Will you
escort
them?” Inner City Press asked. “Sure,” replied Daffa-Alla Alhag
Ali Osman, adding that his government is coordinating with UNAMID on
the “modalities.” Video
here, from Minute 1:35.
UN's Gambari in El Fasher, Kalma Six and Jebel Marra not shown
Daffa-Alla
Alhag
Ali
Osman brings a new style to Sudan diplomacy at the UN. He thanked
Churkin for this elements to the press, and afterwards asked Inner
City Press, “How did I do?” There is talk of a dinner for UN
correspondents, at the Sudan Mission to the UN.
Inner
City
Press
told a representative of the US Mission, if you want your voice heard
Susan Rice or in her frequent absences her deputies need to speak at
the stakeout, as Daffa-Alla Alhag Ali Osman did twice on Monday. But
neither Rice nor the
UN's Atul Khare appeared. It was Russia's
Churkin and Sudan's Daffa-Alla Alhag Ali Osman, who thanked Churkin
for his press statement. Only at the UN.
, 
