By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 23 -- Last night former UN official in Sudan Mukesh Kapila told some 50 people at the Museum of Tolerance in New York about government bombing of civilians and urged Sudanese in the audience to support the armed struggle in Sudan.
Inner City Press had gone to cover Kapila's talk, and afterward published a short article, here. This gave rise to expressions of surprise by diplomats in front of the Security Council's October 23 meeting about Darfur. Inner City Press tweeted this -- and Mukesh Kapila replied. This is new journalism.
Kapila first noted that "perhaps being honest may have come as more of a surprise than surprise over what I said." Then he said, "@innercitypress over a set of forthcoming tweets I will set out my views on #Sudan so that there is no misunderstanding on them."
This is a new model. Inside the UN, the head of Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous for example won't even answer questions put to him at a press conference or stakeout.Video compilation here, UK coverage here.
Meanwhile former UN official Kapila replies, and then sends a series of tweets explaining his position, including that the UN's Kofi "Annan administration bears particular responsibility for negligence in the Darfur genocide. If we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it."
One wonders what Kapila thinks of the UN's negligence and lack of accountability for bringing cholera to Haiti.
On Sudan Kapila said that "Sudanese themselves must take charge of their own destiny: they must lead change which must come from within. Most fundamental human right is to live: marginalized Sudanese have inalienable right of self-defense and to counter oppression."
Kapila continued that "history teaches no genocidal dictator anywhere has ever been removed except through force. Bashir is unlikely to be exception. But as external military intervention to remove Bashir is unlikely, armed struggle by Sudanese themselves inevitable and just cause."
Referring it would seen to Iraq, and possibly Afghanistan and Libya, Kabila qualified: "I don't advocate for external military intervention because the West does such interventions so badly. And leaves places worse off."
Inner City Press asked, "Do you distinguish between SPLM-North & some groups in Darfur? What of #Strike4Sudan?"
Kapila replied, again honestly, that "I am impressed from personal observation how much more united the SRF is - includes SPLMN, and Darfur groups SLM, JEM."
Kapila has just written a book, "Against a Tide of Evil;" he heads to the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Chicago tomorrow, touring with it. On what he said Tuesday night about "Clooney," Kapila on Wednesday said it's "good when celebrities join, bad when they become the story instead of the cause itself or if they replace voices of the affected."
While we're have more, on Twitter on Wednesday Kapila continued that the "international peacemaking process led by the African Union is fundamentally flawed: unprincipled, fragmented, unjust, rewards genocide. Genocidal crimes against humanity need highest level of global attention: morally wrong of UN Security Council to subcontract to regional AU."
It should be noted that Qatar also ha$ a role in this process, even as it beats the drum for accountability in Syria. On these comparisons, we'll have more. Watch this site.
