By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 27 --
After
the UN
Security
Council met on
October 24
about Sudan
and South
Sudan, Inner
City Press asked
Azerbaijan's
Agshin
Mehdiyev, the
Security
Council's
president of
October, if
there had been
any discussion
of the idea of
holding the
Abyei
referendum
now.
Mehdiyev
answered that
the elements
to the press
which he had
just read out
to an
otherwise
empty media
stakeout
contained the
answer: no,
the Council is
not in favor.
But what now,
that Sudan has
"obstructed"
the African
Union visit to
Abyei planned
for October
26-27? The AU
has already
complained, here.
Inner
City
Press on
October 24
obtained and published
the UN
Security Council's
agreed-to
elements to
the press,
including:
The
members of the
Council
expressed
support for
the African
Union Peace
and Security
Council visit
to Abyei on
26-27 October
and urged both
communities to
use this visit
as an
opportunity to
ease tension.
The
members
of the Council
looked forward
to hearing
from the AUPSC
regarding its
findings and
to advancing
the Parties’
efforts to
peacefully
resolve their
differences.
Well,
now Sudan for
whatever
reason has
blocked the
visit -- they
cited security
-- and so,
what will the
Council hear
from the
AUPSC, other
than this
statement
blaming Sudan
for any
negative
consequences
of blocking
the visit?
For comparison's
sake, the Organization
for the Prevention
of Chemical
Weapons on
October 27
announced that
Syria has met
its deadlines,
and that it is
reporting that
to the
Security Council.
Some say that,
like Susan Rice,
much of the
energetic
concern about
Sudan and
Abyei has left
the Security
Council.
So how will
the Council
process these
different
reports on
Sudan and
Syria, where
France for
example openly
wants to just
name a replacement
leader, the
Saudi-sponsored
and
Turkey-based
Ahmad al
Jarba?
And what about
the people
trying to
return to
Abyei to vote,
reportedly
left under
insufficient
sheet plastic
without enough
mosquito nets?
Inner
City Press
asked the UN's
special
rapporteur on
the human
rights of
internally
displaced
persons
Chaloka Beyani
about the IDPs
in Abyei. He
said that in
his visit to
Sudan, he had
not been able
to visit
Abyei,
Southern
Kordofan or
Blue Nile
states due to
security
concerns; he
will soon
travel to
South Sudan.
Inner
City Press
asked him
about
accountability,
including for
UN
Peacekeeping,
for the
killing of
IDPs in
Nahibly camp
in Cote
d'Ivoire. He
said the
government had
said it will
prosecute but
he had no
information
that it has --
rather like
the assurances
UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous
accepted from
Congolese
authorities
about the 135
rapes at
Minova by
their forces.
These are
other examples
of the
Council's
concern moving
on, or never
really being
there.
Amid the calls
for accountability
in the Kampala
talks between
M23 and the
Congolese, the
callers
including the
US and its
envoy Russ
Feingold are not making
the obvious
link to
the Congolese
failure to
hold to account
even one of
those who committed
mass rape in
Minova, including
from the US
trained 391st
Battalion.
A year
ago, to the
day, Beyani
told Inner
City Press
that the
UN
Peacekeepers
at Nahibly did
not shot to
protect
civilians,
since the
attackers were
not an army,
but other
civilians.
With
Ladsous in DRC
using attack
helicopters
and devoting
UN resources
to support
France in
Mali, while
not protecting
perceived
Laurent Gbagbo
supports in
Cote d'Ivoire,
one has to
wonder what
has become of
UN
Peacekeeping
under his
tenure.
To
return to
Abyei, what is
the result of
the promised
investigation
into the
killing of the
Paramount
Chief of the
area, which
Ladsous' DPKO
promised? What
is it? Ladsous
will not
answer: video
here, UN
coverage
here. Is
this the UN?
We'll find
out. Watch
this site.
, 
