Amid
UN Somalia Scam,
Kay Cites
Puntland Not
Jubaland,
Press
Intimidation
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 7 -- On
the day the UN
belatedly admitted,
if only to
a friendly
scribe, to
Inner City
Press'
exclusive June
22 report on
the UN's role
in sharing
genetic
information
from Somalia
with the US
FBI, the UN
answered the
previous day's
Press
questions on
Puntland
and
journalists'
safety.
But
the UN has
still not
commented on
Jubaland's
Ahmed Mohamed
Islam (Madobe)'s
critique of
the
government in
Mogadishu,
delivered at
the Kismayo
airport, or
even disclosed
which private
military
contractor it
uses for armed
guards.
On
August
6, Inner
City Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky:
Inner
City
Press: In
Somalia,
there’s been a
pretty
high-profile
announcement
by Puntland
that they are
severing all
relations with
the central or
federal
Government.
They say that
they violated
the
power sharing
in the
Constitution.
So since
there’s UNSOM
[United
Nations
Assistance
Mission in
Somalia]
there, I’m
wondering, do
they have any
response, or
are they going
to try to put
things back
on track? And
there’s been
two incidents
with
journalists,
one
being a
journalist,
Mascud
Abdulahi Adan,
was blocked in
the
Mogadishu
airport from
going to get
surgery on a
bullet in him,
in
Kenya, and
given the
[UNSC] debate
and what the
Secretary-General
said, I’m
wondering if
the Mission or
the
Secretary-General
was
aware of that.
And also, a
journalist was
attempted to
be
assassinated
in Kismayo,
Abdikhadar
Iman Dhaqane.
It seems like
a lot
of things are
taking place
there, and I’m
wondering what
the
Mission and
Mr. Nicholas
Kay have to
say about
them.
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I’ll check.
And
at
11:30 am the
next day, half
an hour before
reading it out
at the
day's noon
briefing,
Nesirky's
office
e-mailed the
following
responses
which we
therefore
publish in
full:
Subject:
your
questions on
Somalia
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Wed, Aug
7, 2013 at
11:30 AM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Concerning
your
question on
Puntland, we
have the
following from
UNSOM: “SRSG
Kay is aware
of reports
that
Puntland's
leadership has
unilaterally
decided to
sever ties
with the
Federal
Government of
Somalia over a
number of
concerns
including
interpretation
of
constitutional
provisions and
implementation
of federal
arrangements.
He will use
his good
offices to
continue
dialogue with
both the
Federal
Government and
the political
leadership of
Puntland as
they seek
mutual
understanding
on these and
other key
issues."
Regarding
the
evacuation of
the injured
journalist who
was shot in
Kismayo,
UNSOM as the
following
information:
"The
journalist was
evacuated to
Nairobi
hospital for
surgical
treatment on
Monday 5
August after
the National
Union of
Journalists
(NUSOJ)
obtained
clearance from
the Ministry
of Information
for his
travel. UNSOM
will follow up
with NUSOJ on
the condition
of the
journalist and
to
better
understand why
a journalist
working with a
non-government
owned radio
station (Radio
Dalsan) would
need a letter
from the
Ministry for
emergency
medical
evacuation."
On
the attack on
a journalist
also in
Kismayo: as
with all
similar
cases, attacks
against
journalists
are
unacceptable
and
journalists
should be able
to carry out
their work
free of
intimidation.
This
last is a nice
statement.
While smaller,
but inside the
UN's own
headquarters,
consider this
UN
communication
to Inner City
Press,
about merely
hanging the
sign on the
door of its
shared office
of the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
which works
on the defense
of
journalists,
in Somaliland,
Somalia, in
the UN and
elsewhere (On
August
5, 6
and so far on
August
7, the
below have not
responded to basic
press
access questions
raised) --
, 
