By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ban1darfurcc012010.html
UNITED NATIONS, January 20, updated -- Darfur, which along with climate change used to be called the UN's and Ban Ki-moon's top priorities, has fallen further by the roadside.
Days ago, the UN's own broadcaster in Sudan, Miraya FM, reported that "the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM)-Abdul Wahid Nour Faction called on the United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to intervene and rescue civilians from aerial bombings [by the] Sudan Armed Forces in Kutum, North Darfur."
At UN headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky has for the past week resisted in noon briefings taking any questions except about Haiti, telling Inner City Press "today I'm sticking to Haiti." So Inner City Press asked UN top peacekeeper Alain Le Roy about the Darfur report, at the end of a briefing on Haiti on January 18, but has yet to receive any answer.
On January 20, Mr. Nesirky said he would at last take non Haiti question. Inner City Press asked about Darfur and climate change (but was cut off from asking if the UN is doing anything about the 400 killed and 4000 displaced in ethnic and religious clashes in Jos, Nigeria. Ironically, subsequent to this cut-off, the UN Secretariat prepared, approved and issued a canned statement on Nigeria, here.)
Of the Darfur report, by the UN's own radio station and on its ReliefWeb.int, Nesirky said he hasn't heard of it. On climate change, when Inner City Press asked about a quote in the UK Guardian by top US climate negotiator Jonathan Pershing that it is "impossible to imagine a negotiation of enormous complexity where you have a table of 192 countries involved in all the detail."
Nesirky responded that Mr. Ban had seen the Guardian interview, and that Pership had been contacted and said he was misquoted. The Guardian, however, has not run any correction, and it is unclear if Pershing or the UN has requested one.
Inner City Press would have asked, but Nesirky insisted that no further questions could be asked at the briefing. (He said it could be asked afterwards, but as noted he has left unanswered for weeks numerous questions Inner City Press has emailed to him, and even some asked during the briefings this year.)
Inner City Press would also have asked, on Sudan, about the death sentences just imposed on JEM rebels for the attack on Omdurman, on the "sacking" of numerous governors in the run up to an election the UN said it cared about, as well as other questions -- but Mr. Nesirky permitted no more questions, even after a week.
Since the UN says it was able to procure a statement by Pershing that his seemingly anti-UN statement was misquoted, one wonders if the UN saw one of its Darfur experts on Al Jazeera last week, calling "extremist" those who say that Omar al Bashir should actually being put on trial in The Hague, where he has been indicted. Is that now UN policy? Or is the UN just not paying attention? Watch this site.
Update of Jan 20, 6 p.m. -- better late than never, two days after asking, then after a second ask, this was provided:
Subj: Re: Follow-up on your questions
From: DPKO at UN.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 1/20/2010 5:51:16 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Matthew - Here is information from DPKO concerning Darfur:
Following reports of fighting between GoS forces and SLA/AW fighters around Insuru area on 16 January, UNAMID team conducted a security assessment patrol to the area on 17 January. The team visited the scene of attack at Furoge village (40km northwest of Kutum) and interacted with the SLA/AW commanders and locals who reported that on 16 January, at about 12:00 hours, GoS military supported by Arab Militia from Dowa (13km northwest of Kutum) and Birmaza (53km northwest of Kutum) launched an attack at Furoge market area. During the attack, 15 locals were reported killed and 20 others injured. On 18 January, UNAMID Team Site in Kutum carried out humanitarian assistance in the area and offered medical treatment to critically injured patients at Furuge Clinic. The team site also plans to supply water to residents of Furuge.
We'll have more on this, watch this site.
