By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/darfur3sla030910.html
UNITED NATIONS, March 9 -- Ever since the Sudanese government and JEM rebels announced a cease fire and the UN quickly praised it, there have been reports of an upsurging in fighting in Darfur's Jebel Marra between the government and another rebel group, the SLA. Inner City Press repeatedly asked the UN to confirm the death tolls reported by the SLA, to no avail.
On March 8, the government announced it had full control of Jebel Marra. At the UN later that day, after some happy talk about efforts for gender equality through UN Police, Inner City Press sought to ask about Darfur. But there was no noon briefing that day. Inner City Press sought answers elsewhere.
On March 9, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky about the competing critiques of the SLA and government: both in their way say the UN is doing nothing. The government mocks the UN Mission UNAMID's over 60 troops, who let the SLA take from them seven four by fours, more than 50 automatic weapons and communications equipment, without a fight.
The SLA's Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur said of UNAMID, "They are unable to protect civilians nor are they writing reports to document what happened so what exactly are they doing?"
Factually, Inner City Press asked Nesirky if the UN could confirm or deny that the government retook control of Jebel Marra. "I don't have anything on that," Nesirky said. "I need to find out." Video here, from Minute 1:09:36
Inner City Press asked for a UN response to the government's claim that it told UNAMID to take a different route to Jebel Marra. "I don't know the answer to that," Nesirky said, not even offering to find out. Video here, from Minute 1:09:28.
What Nesirky did have was a read out statement about the UN's surrender on March 5. It was 63 UNAMID personnel, Nesirky corrected, not 61. Fifty six were in the "protection force." If they can't or won't protect themselves, how could they protect civilians?
The UN appears to be in a see no evil, hear no evil mode about Darfur, and Sudan more generally. This was supposed to be one of the UN's main commitments. What happened? Watch this site.
