UN Kept Quiet About Hostages Taken by Darfur Rebels, Would It Elsewhere?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 13 -- The UN has kept quiet for more than a week while three of its staff members have been held hostage by the SLA-Minnawi rebels in Darfur. On August 13, seeing a report of that date of a helicopter held by the SLM-M, Inner City Press wrote to UN spokespeople in New York for confirmation.

  The response showed that rather than announce the hostage taking on August 5, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations under Herve Ladsous told the UN Spokesperson's office to only disclose it "if asked." And thetranscript shows it wasn't asked.

DPKO was willing to say this back on August 5:

On 3 August 2013, the helicopter of a African Union/United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) contractor, tasked with delivering supplies to various UNAMID locations in South Darfur, made an emergency landing due to severe weather conditions.

Upon landing, 50 kilometers southeast of Nyala town, the crew members were detained by members of the Sudan Liberation Army - Mini Manawi (SLA/MM).

Communication is being maintained with all parties and negotiations are underway for the safe release of the crew, as well as the recovery of the helicopter.

  But it didn't say it; the same phrase was belatedly used a week later by the spokesperson for the UNAMID mission. Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson again, what has happened with the staff members? This was the reply:

"Communication is being maintained with all parties and negotiations are underway for the safe release of the crew, as well as the recovery of the helicopter. There is nothing further to report at this stage."

  So the UN, or at least Ladsous' DPKO, keeps quiet about some hostage takings, but not others. Is this only for safety reasons? Or is there a political element? Ladsous was France's Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN during the Rwanda genocide, arguing for the escape of genocidairesinto Eastern Congo. 

  Would his DPKO stay quiet for a week if a staff member was taken hostage by the M23? Watch this site.