Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

On Darfur, As US Gration Says Genocide Charge Makes His Job Harder, Rice Insists Policy is Clear and United: Or Is It AWOL?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 27 -- Days after Sudan's Omar Al Bashir was indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court, UN envoy to Sudan Scott Gration said that the indictment “makes my job harder.”

This not surprisingly gave rise to outrage among human rights advocates. Tuesday at the UN, Inner City Press asked US Ambassador Susan Rice if Gration's in the Obama administration's view. Video here, from Minute 2:49.

Ambassador Rice responded,“No, the United States is very clear and united behind President Obama's policy towards Sudan.” Activists, on the other hand, say that the Obama Administration's policy on Sudan is drifting, or AWOL (Absent Without Leave) as one campaign puts it.

From the U.S. Mission's transcript:

Inner City Press: Some say that the administration, sort of, that you have one message, and Scott Gration has another message. He was quoted recently as saying that the indictment for genocide of President Bashir makes his job more difficult. So I guess what I'm wondering is, is there something called Project AWOL that says the administration has sort of lost its way on Sudan policy? What do you make of that criticism and do you think that-is the administration moving with one voice to put pressure on President Bashir both on Darfur and on South Sudan having the referendum, or are there mixed messages, as some say?

Ambassador Rice: No, the United States is very clear and united behind President Obama's policy towards Sudan, which has multiple components as it was outlined by Secretary Clinton and I and others and General Gration in October. We are placing very strong emphasis on full and urgent implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement as the referendum approaches and we attach great urgency to resolving the many issues that remain unresolved. At the same time, we are gravely concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Darfur, the need for accountability for justice for ending the violence and ensuring full protection of civilians. And so, the situation in Sudan is complex, there are multiple imperatives, and we're united in our efforts to meet those imperatives.

Susan Rice on July 27, Gration, AWOL

Inner City Press: Does the genocide indictment make your job more difficult, just one follow up. Is that actually what he said?

Ambassador Rice: I'm not in a position to say precisely what others have said. Suffice it to say that the United States stands firmly behind justice and accountability for war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity in Darfur and elsewhere.

Questions were also raised about the U.S. position on accountability for war crimes when Ambassador Rice issued a statement largely lauding Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa government's own panel on “Lessons Learnt,” which was meant to forestall a advisory UN Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka.

UN envoy to Darfur Ibrahim Gambari, it was said, would speak to the Press after the Council's consultations. At the UN's noon briefing on Tuesday, Inner City Press asked a question about Darfur, to which spokesman Martin Nesirky said, you can ask Ibrahim Gambari. But Gambari left and did not do the stakeout. Later it was announced he would appear at 4:30. Questions about Scott "Alaska" Gration will be asked. Watch this site.

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UN Does Not “Police the Police,” Even in Sudan, Passive As Leaving Birao in CAR

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 20 -- The UN's job, in Sudan and by extension elsewhere, “is not to police the police,” UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky told the Press on Monday. Inner City Press had asked about reports of torture and crackdown on independent media by the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service.

While saying there may be “further guidance” from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Nesirky said it's not the UN's job to “police the police.”

But if the UN is spending over $1 billion each on two peacekeeping missions in Sudan, with stated goals including ensuring a fair referendum on the independence of South Sudan and the protection of civilians, shouldn't the UN have been aware of this police activity, including torture? If the UN was aware of it, why did it not speak?

Back on July 7, Inner City Press asked the UN about

Inner City Press: a crackdown on the press. Three newspapers have been closed in Khartoum, and youth, with this Girifna, have been arrested by the Government, all for purportedly supporting separation or the referendum for the south to break away. Does the UN, I heard your statement of Mr. Bassolé, but what does either Mr. [Haile] Menkerios or the UN say about the north-south issue? And it’s related to that or not related to that, are reports that recent killings in Abyei are intended to drive the Dinka people out so that the vote would go Khartoum’s way. Is there any, what’s the UN doing on the north-south front rather than the Darfur front?

Associate Spokesperson Farhan Haq: Well, certainly the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is working very clearly with all the parties trying to ensure calm on the north-south front. I don’t have anything in particular to say about the situation in Abyei right now. As for the crackdown on the press, these allegations we’ll check first and foremost with our Human Rights and UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] colleagues whether they have anything to say on that.

But since July 7, nothing has been said on this by the UN, its “Human Rights” (Commission?) or UNESCO. And now on July 19, the UN again said maybe one of its constituent units -- DPKO -- may have something to say. We'll be waiting.

Inner City Press asked asked about the Central African Republic government's report that it retook the town of Birao from rebels. The UN's peacekeeping contingent in Birao, 300 strong, “confirmed” the government's retaking.

But why didn't the UN, with 300 peacekeepers on site, report the initial attack and take over by rebels? Why didn't the UN's 300 peacekeepers do anything?

The outgoing Holmes in Sudan, torture and Birao in CAR not shown

On July 19, UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky said that DPKO and Ban Ki-moon had made it clear they would prefer from the MINURCAT mission to stay deployed. But when Idriss Deby threw the Chad component out, DPKO did not even try to keep the CAR component in Birao and elsewhere.

Nesirky also referred to outgoing top UN humanitarian John Holmes. Inner City Press saw Holmes on Monday leaving the North Lawn building and ran after him to ask: what about Birao?

Holmes to his credit stopped. He explained that DPKO had said to keep the CAR component, with the Chadian, wouldn't be “sustainable.”

It's a cost - benefit analysis by the UN, without transparency or accountability, and the Central African Republicans, like the Sudanese, are losing. Watch this site.

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On Darfur, Gration Skips El Fasher Summit, US Won't Explain, UN Won't Comment

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- Why did the U.S. envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, not attend last weekend's El Fasher summit on Darfur including Gration's Chinese, Russian and EU counterparts? Inner City Press has asked the U.S. Mission to the UN, including Ambassador Susan Rice as she walked into the Security Council. But the question has not been answered.

A Rice aide told Inner City Press to ask Gration's spokesperson, Marie Nelson, that she would be waiting for the call. But despite three calls to Ms. Nelson, including a request for answer by voice mail or e-mail, no answer has been received. Nor did a re-request to the U.S. Mission get any answer, except the vague statement that Gration's reason is simpler than it was assumed Inner City Press would speculate.

Other press reports have linked Gration's non attendance to his disagreements with the UN's Ibrahim Gambari. It is not that at this point Gration appears any more committed to justice in Darfur than is Mr. Gambari. It's a turf war, pure and simple.

On July 7, Inner City Press told and asked the UN Mission to the UN:

I called Marie Nelson before and after the noon briefing (where I asked some other Sudan questions, including about crackdowns on free press and the youth group Girifna). I'm sending you the "Final Communiqué from JSR Retreat for the Special Envoys to the Sudan" and an article speculating about Gration's absence. They say Gration had agreed to the time and place - true? I'd like an on the record explanation of Gration's non attendance, etc.

Three days later, as of this writing, nothing. Watch this site.

Envoys in El Fasher, Gration not shown, explanation not given

At the UN's July 6 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked

Inner City Press: On this meeting that you gave a readout of, of Mr. Gambari, you said that various Member States went, but many people picked up on the fact that Scott Gration of the US, neither the UK nor French envoys went. Essentially it was Russian, Chinese envoys; you can give me, if there is a longer list, give it to me. Did Mr. Gambari invite the Western envoys on the Darfur issue, and what does the UN make of their failure to attend and participate?

Associate Spokesperson Haq: Well, first off, the full text of the communiqué is available in the Spokesperson’s office. So, you can get a clear view of the parties and the discussions there. It’s, I think, a two-page readout. I don’t know the reasons for attendance or non-attendance of some of these.

The next day on July 7 Inner City Press asked:

Inner City Press: hree newspapers have been closed in Khartoum, and youth, with this Girifna, have been arrested by the Government, all for purportedly supporting separation or the referendum for the south to break away. Does the UN, I heard your statement of Mr. Bassolé, but what does either Mr. [Haile] Menkerios or the UN say about the north-south issue? And it’s related to that or not related to that, are reports that recent killings in Abyei are intended to drive the Dinka people out so that the vote would go Khartoum’s way. Is there any, what’s the UN doing on the north-south front rather than the Darfur front?

Associate Spokesperson Haq: Well, certainly the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is working very clearly with all the parties trying to ensure calm on the north-south front. I don’t have anything in particular to say about the situation in Abyei right now. As for the crackdown on the press, these allegations we’ll check first and foremost with our Human Rights and UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] colleagues whether they have anything to say on that.

Still waiting on that, too. Watch this site.

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

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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