By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 20 -- The UN Security Council was briefed Thursday about Sudan and South Sudan, by both Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous and his UN Humanitarian counter-part Valerie Amos.
Despite a UN peacekeepers have recently been killed in Kadugli, pretty clearly by shelling by the SPLM-North rebels, Ladsous went he emerged with a big entourage did not speak at the stakeout.
His predecessors Alain Le Roy and Jean Marie Guehenno always spoke after such a death. But Ladsous has contempt for the Press.
Amos, by contrast, took at least four questions on Sudan. Inner City Press asked about the SPLM-North's insistence on cross border aid from South Sudan: was that humanitarian or political, as some say it is in Syria? Video here from Minute 6.
Amos said the parties don't trust each other, that they may meet in Addis Ababa by the end of the month to talk at least about a vaccination program.
Inner City Press asked about a recommendation in Amnesty International's new report on Blue Nile state, that aid NGOs and UN agencies like Amos' document diversions of aid by SPLM-North and report to the Secretary General. Video herefrom Minute 3:58.
Amos said she'd have to know more about the recommendation, where the aid that's be referred to is. There's slated for the UN at 10:15 am on Friday a press conference sponsored by Norway, that it seems like address this report. Sudan wasn't aware of the press conference and didn't think it could get into it.
Footnote: Meanwhile, the UN's Censorship Alliance has scheduled a private session, only for its members, with incoming PGA John Ashe for the same time.
The UN gives UNCA a big space and even a locked pantry to store their wine glass -- UNCA president Pamela Falk's wine cellar it's been dubbed -- and in turn has briefing about topics like Sudan undermined by private insider schoozefests. Meanwhile the UN has tried to take down even the sign of the alternative Free UN Coalition for Access. Have they stopped a campaign that even many in the UN have called absurd and inappropriate? Who knows. Welcome to the UN and its Censorship Alliance. Watch this site.
