UNITED NATIONS, September 27, 2010 -- Outside the meeting at the UN to address Sudan restrictions on movements and humanitarian access, Sudan's Permanent Representative told Inner City Press that everything was going smoothly inside, no complaints.
Upon exiting, the chief of the UN Department of Field Support Susana Malcorra also painted a positive picture. Inner City Press asked about restrictions on the use of helicopters, and about the UNAMID peacekeepers in Darfur not getting to part of Jebel Marra since February, and not getting to the Tarabat Market, where over 50 were killed, earlier this month. Video of Q &A here.
UNAMID chief Ibrahim Gambari acknowledged that the response to Tarabat Market had been too slow. But when Inner City Press asked if, going forward, permission from the Sudanese authorities would still be required to move, his answer wasn't clear. He said that Sudan could still cite security as a basis to move allow movement.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Georg Charpentier talked about a meeting with Sudan's Humanitarian Affairs minister, at which he said access was granted to Jebel Marra.
Outgoing UN Humanitarian chief John Holmes had spoken of no access since February 2010. Equally at odds with that other UN officials have told Inner City Press, Charpentier on Monday said on camera that other than joint press releases, he has not shown his press releases to Sudanese authorities. We'll see.
