By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 9 -- In Darfur at first when leaders of the Al Salam camp for internally displaced people wouldn't meet with Valerie Amos, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator, Ms. Amos was quoted “I hope that here is no fear.”
It seems clear the reference was to the arrest and harassment of IDPs at the nearby Abu Shouk camp after they met with the UN Security Council on October 8.
But when Inner City Press asked the UN to explain this concern about fear, and to describe the UN's follow up on the Abu Shouk harassment, the response was that
“Valerie Amos did speak to two women at the Al Salam camp. But two of her meetings with camp elders could not take place. This failure to meet reflects the divisions in political opinions among IDPs and their subsequent inability to come up with an agreed message for Amos.”
Since this blaming of splits in the IDPs, and letting the Sudanese government off the hook for its harassment is a noticeable strategy of UNAMID under Ibrahim Gambari, on November 9 Inner City Press asked UN acting Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq if the answer his office gave Inner City Press on November 8 was from UNAMID, or from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which Amos runs.
It came from Amos' office, Haq answered.
Several human rights activists whom Inner City Press spoke with later on November 9 said this bodes badly. “Has Amos become part of the cover up?” asked on of them, contrasting her unfavorably with her predecessor twice removed, Jan Egeland.
The more fundamental question is, why would IDPs need an “agreed message” to speak with the UN's HUMANITARIAN coordinator? Is Ms. Amos already perceived a political, rather than humanitarian, actor?
If the statement about a split in the IDPs did come from her, shouldn't this concern her? Watch this site.
