Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1drdf020608.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 6 -- The UN's new Mission in Darfur, UNAMID, has asserted that the Government of Sudan has violated its commitments in the Darfur Peace Agreement, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. On February 4 at UN headquarters in New York, Inner City Press asked for UN confirmation or denial of what sources said about the "fund that was set up under the May 2006 agreement between some parties, Minni Minawi and others and the Government of Khartoum -- that no money has been paid."
Two days later, a response was provided from UNAMID, that the Darfur Peace Agreement "Implementation Team has confirmed that the DPA does indeed provide for the Government of Sudan to transfer from the National Revenue Fund into the Darfur Reconstruction and Development Fund an amount equivalent to $300 million for the year 2006, not less than $200 million in 2007 and not less than $200 million in 2008. The PDAIT has also confirmed that as of 05 February 2008, and apart from providing funds to cover the operational expenses of the DRDF, the GoS has not paid any money into the DRDF."
That is, the UN is saying that the al-Bashir government is more than $500 million behind in its payments. Why is the UN not saying this louder?
Meanwhile in the Security Council on Wednesday, a presidential statement on Kenya was adopted, but a key phrase stating that the Council regrets the abuses in the Presidential election was cut out from the statement. Diplomats from a Permanent Five member of the Council pointed the finger at fellow P-5er Russia for having opposed the statement on elections, on the theory that its own elections are disputed. Another Council representative said it's a "cultural thing," with the West wanting to talk about democracy, and others on the Council less willing. Inner City Press asked if there's been any movement on the British statement that it is agitating that the Council hear from the other side in Kenya, that is, from Raila Odinga's ODM. No movement, Inner City Press was told. No movement? Watch this site.
