By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 2 -- In Sudan over the weekend Darfur human rights activists were arrested, and the Khartoum office of a radio station which covers the conflict was shuttered.
Tuesday morning in front of the UN Security Council in New York, Inner City Press asked delegations what they would do about it. Mostly they referred to a November 16 meeting on Sudan, which focuses on the North South referendum.
Now Inner City Press hears from sources that the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Georg Charpentier has ordered that all “non-essential” missions in the country should be suspended until February 2011 -- that is, until after the referendum.
The implication, the sources say, is that the UN will do even less reporting on human rights abuses and malnutrition in Darfur than it has been doing of late. The idea is that the UN -- and perhaps Western countries on the Security Council -- are so interested in the referendum that they are increasingly looking the other way on Darfur, as things there get worse.
Sources also report that many tanks, troops were seen in North Darfur areas of Kutum, Kernoi, and Altina. Same in addition to janjaweed gatherings were seen in West Darfur in areas of Geneina and Kulbus.
Pro Government of Sudan volunteers landed in Kutum airport. One was asked by Darfuri policeman: What are you and where are you going. The person reportedly answered, we are mujahideen and the government told us we have to fight the infidels and their supporters in Darfur. We came to clean Darfur.
Some Arab tribes revolted and refused to participate in the operation. Sources say most of those revolted were in the army and belong to Bani Halba Arab tribe. The operation is planned to start in November (within few days). It would, the sources say, start with aerial bombings with planes taking off from Dongola in the North Sudan (neighboring state to Darfur in th nile north) rather than from Darfur airports (due to the last noise regarding U.N.S.C. visit and arms embargo reports). The operation is timed to finish before the end of December, just before referendum of Jan 2011. That's what sources say.
There are reports of attacks on civilians in Tawila, and that the UNAMID peacekeepers “did nothing.” Could this be part of the referendum strategy?
On Monday at noon Inner City Press asked:
Inner City Press: first on Darfur, I wanted to ask you, it’s been… the Ugandan Army… the military, their main spokesman said on Friday that Joseph Kony has now passed from Central African Republic into Darfur. I know that the UN had set up UNMIS [United Nations Mission in the Sudan] to be part of some… along with MONUSCO [United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] and the soon to be finished MINURCAT [United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad] to be looking into the LRA [Lord’s Resistance Army]. But does UNAMID [African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur] have a comment on this indicted war criminal, according to Uganda, having gone into Darfur and what in fact would UNAMID do about this [inaudible] case?
Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Let me find out.
Inner City Press: Also there is a report, just this, a factual thing, but there’s reports of fighting in South Darfur resulting in 10 dead, and I am just wondering, is this the kind of thing that UNAMID tracks? Can it confirm this or…?
Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, again I am sure UNAMID, if they have information, they’d let us know. I don’t have anything right now.
And 22 hours later, still nothing. Watch this site.
