UNITED NATIONS, September 7 -- The killings in Darfur were described to the UN Security Council late on Tuesday, by UN Peacekeeping deputy Atul Khare. Afterwards Inner City Press asked first US Ambassador Susan Rice, then Khare, about the killings, and restrictions on the UN's ability to protect civilians in Darfur.
Khare repeated, even read from, the notes read out earlier on Tuesday by acting Deputy UN Spokesman Farhan Haq in response to Inner City Press' questions. The UNAMID mission, he said, was able to get to the Tabarat Market on September 4 and found it almost empty. It went back on September 7 and now estimates that 50 people were killed.
But what, Inner City Press asked, about the document it obtained showing that UNAMID peacekeepers initially declined to go to Tabarat, saying they needed approval from El Fashir and, it seems, Khartoum?
Khare said that would be a restriction on the movement of UNAMID, and therefore impermissible. Video here.
But earlier Haq said that such approvals were “the normal procedure.” Video here, from Minute 10:21. Which is it?
Susan Rice, surprisingly to some, deferred to Khare. Video here. Equally surprising, it was France and not the U.S. which requested the Darfur briefing. While some say that it is Scott Gration minimizing the upsurge in killings in Darfur, of late the US Mission to the UN is hardly leading on the issue. The rapes in Congo are terrible, but the US Mission should be able to lead on more than one issue at once, shouldn't it? Watch this site.
Khare said that in the IDP camp in West Darfur, nine people were killed, and more injured. Those who are followers of Abdul Wahid Nour did not accept transport to Zalingei, fearing for their lives -- or fearing being turned over by UNAMID to the government. They were treated in the camp. Inner City Press asked Khare to respond to JEM's request that the UN's (and African Union's) Ibrahim Gambari resign, for failure to protect civilians. Khare declined to answer. But afterward, outside on First Avenue, he promised that he and his staff will be a font of answers. We look forward to it.
Update of 8:40 pm -- from the US Mission transcript:
Inner City Press: we understand that France called for some kind of consultation at the end on Darfur and the killings. Can you say what information was transmitted and the what the US thinks of the events in Zalingei Camp and also in Jebel Marra where the janjaweed apparently killed 50 people over the weekend?
Ambassador Rice: Well, we just heard a brief summary of what information is available to the Secretariat on the violence that occurred over the last several days in Darfur. Obviously we are gravely concerned about it, we are awaiting further information and so there is still much that is unknown. I will let Assistant Secretary General Khare, since he is here, give you any more detail.
