By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 22 -- By the UN on Tuesday night at the Museum of Tolerance former UN official Mukesh Kapila told an audience of about 50 to support the armed struggle in Sudan.
Kapila spoke candidly and from the heart, criticizing among others Kofi Annan and George Clooney. He also repeatedly denounced "intellectual prostitutes... one here in New York and one in Boston," saying these may have been bought, with money, by Bashir.
On supporting the armed struggle, Kapila said a second time, I support them, I say it openly.
He was promoting his book, "Against a Tide of Evil." The sponsors apologize that the book was not available for sale, suggesting the audience go on Amazon and find it. Kapila screened two videos, one for the book, the other shot for Aegis Trust in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states this year.
These films were disturbing, showing people living in caves hiding from Antonov bombings. An SPLM-North general explained that Bashir seeks to drive people from the land by bombing.
Kapila went further, accusing the aid industry of doing Bashir's work for him. If you make food unavailable, people have to flee.
Inner City Press asked Kapila, as it previously asked UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, why he thought current UN Humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has openly asked for cross border aid into Syria but not into Sudan.
(Lyall Grant told Inner City Press he hoped that the agreement on Syria would break the logjam on Sudan. It hasn't.)
Kapila said he had worked for Amos in the past, that they had done cross border aid without asking for government permission in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cambodia. Why ask for permission now?
He said now polio has emerged, clearly threatening international peace and security. But he told anti-Bashir Sudanese in the audience not to count on the Security Council. If you can raise money for weapons, he told them, do it. Bashir is buying weapons.
He said Bashir didn't negotiate with John Garang because of the Security Council. He cited US support "then" for South Sudan, but said that won't happen again. Don't count on celebrity protesters, he said, it's like a sugar rush. When the doughnut is finished you feel low.
The audience was supportive; Kapila pointed out two of his former special assistants who will work with the UN. An audience member completed his sentence, that Bashir had not tried to bribe him, but had "tried to seduce him." A diplomat turned to Inner City Press surprised. Indirectly, Inner City Press inferred and whispered: indirectly seduced.
He closed by telling a soft-spoken Sudanese questioner he was wasting his time, asking why the international community is not helping. He said the UN has out-sourced Darfur negotiations to a regional organization, to a high level panel led by a former president. What can you expect, he asked. What indeed. Watch this site.
