By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 25 -- As on Darfur the UN Security Council met on Monday, the Ambassador of Sudan Dafaala El Haj Ali Osman denied to Inner City Press that any of the internally displaced people who met with the Council in Abu Shouk IDP Camp have been arrested.
While the US on Friday belated went public with charges of the arrests, there was no direct response from the US Mission to Sudan's denial.
Inside the Council, top UN peacekeeper Alain Le Roy said cautiously -- and vaguely -- that “we are not in a position to provide names of the alleged victims, out of concern to protect our sources from retaliation.”
Did this mean that the UN is confirming the arrests but withholding the names? Inner City Press asked lead UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky, who insisted, you've heard what Mr. Le Roy said. Yes, but it is intentionally unclear.
It seems to some that Sudan knew in advance that the UN would decline to provide the names of arrestees. But how would Sudan know?
Ibraham Gambari, it emerges from Nigerian Mission sources, has been in New York since Friday. Surprisingly, as the Council met Monday about his peacekeeping mission, he was not present. Inner City Press asked Nesirky about this, and Nesirky said he would inquire. Watch this site.
