Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un2unamid081208.html
UNITED NATIONS, August 12 -- The UN and African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur was badly mis-planned from the beginning, comments by UNAMID force commander Martin Luther Agwai on Tuesday made clear. Inner City Press asked about the $250 million the UN gave on a no-bid basis to Lockheed Martin to build camps, work only 20% completed by the contract's expiration on July 15. Agwai first attempted to defend Lockheed's PAE subsidiary, saying they were only in charge of four "super camps" in Darfur. But he then said that the Nyala super camp has only moved forward once Chinese engineers arrived. Video here, from Minute 29:11.
Pressed on the issue, he noted both that Lockheed was trying to maximize profits and that, as an American company, Sudan's government was obviously not well-disposed toward granting Lockheed visas or fast access to equipment. Of course, this could and should have been foreseen. Instead, then logistics chief Jane Holl Lute, wife of U.S. President Bush's war czar for Iraq and Afghanistan, insisted that Lockheed must get the no-bid contract, that only Lockheed could do the job. In fact, Lockheed was uniquely unqualified for the job. The Lockheed question now is how much of the money they should have to return.
Inner City Press asked Agwai why UNAMID does not protect the World Food Program trucks bringing supplies into Darfur, as WFP staff in June in El Fasher told Inner City Press is needed. Agwai pointed out that UNAMID still has less than 10,000 of its approved 26,000 strength, and has not been given the legal mandate to protect trucks on their way to Darfur. Again, bad planning.
Agwai went further, saying the before the UN took over peacekeeping in Darfur from the African Union force AMIS on January 1, 2008, the AMIS force had its equipments and maintenance from donors. Agwai said that now the donors no longer pay for spares and repairs, and have taken away a maintenance workshop. Why the donors took his all away is not know.
Inner City Press asked Agwai why UNAMID had not noticed the build-up of Justice and Equality Movement rebel forces preparing their May 10 assault on Khartoum, which ended five kilometers outside in Omdurman. Agwai bemoaned the lack of even a single surveillance plane, then opined both that JEM is the only organized Darfur rebel groups, and that they must have infiltrated toward Khartoum in small "packets" of vehicles. He noted that the government must have known something was coming, because it started bombing in the area just before the attack. Agwai said UNAMID was so bound up in verifying the bombings, if they happened or not, that they missed the real target. Video here, from Minute 1:02:34.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/un2unamid081208.html
