By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 3 -- While the UN brags about the number of Ethiopian soldiers but not human rights monitors it has gotten into Abyei in Sudan, it still refuses to say how many inactive peacekeepers it still has in Southern Kordofan, where fighting rages and famine is warned of.
Inner City Press has three times asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky to state how many peacekeepers are left in Southern Kordofan, what they are going and when the human rights report including on the UN inaction is to be released.
Three times Nesirky has said he is asking the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, whose chief Alain Le Roy is leaving on August 10.
While Inner City Press has for a month been told and reported that Jerome Bonnafont of France is being given the post, and another Western Permanent Representative says it's between three French candidates, Nesirky has refused to comment on any short list, interviews, anything.
Here is from the UN's August 3, 2011 noon briefing transcript:
Inner City Press: the UNISFA [United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei] – the mission in Abyei — has it reached any kind of Status of Forces Agreement with the Sudanese Government?
Spokesperson Nesirky: I would need to check on the precise technicalities there. But I can tell you that the deployment has been continuing. Already there are more than 1,000 troops in the area. As you know, there was an extremely serious incident yesterday, and I would also anticipate that we’d have more to say on that in the coming days.
Inner City Press: Is it known now or can you, after various questions, say how many peacekeepers are still in Southern Kordofan?
Spokesperson: Again, I would need to check on that. I know you’ve asked repeatedly, and as have I, but I don’t have the answer for you at this point.
That has become Nesirky's, and Ban Ki-moon's refrain. Except that Nesirky controls questions to Ban so closely, even calling on UN Radio over independent journalists, that Ban doesn't even have to not answer, for example on what is being done, and not done, in and on Southern Kordofan. And soon he will be off on a trip to Japan and South Korea. Will Nesirky go with him?
