By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 11 -- Why did the planned polio vaccination in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states not take place? Inner City Press on Monday asked UN Humanitarian operations chief John Ging if the SPLM-North rebels were as reported requesting not to deal with Sudanese officials. Video here, from Minute 15:35.
Ging replied that the "technical agreements" for the vaccination were in place, and that the UN had agreed with Khartoum that no more meetings were needed. But the SPLM-North felt differently, and said so. When Sudan did not show up for the final meeting, the vaccination campaign was off.
Inner City Press asked November's Security Council president Liu Jieyi about any "allocation of blame" between Sudan and the rebels. Video here, from Minute 2:28.
He replied that the Council is working right now on a way to enable the vaccination. Will this mean a press statement or presidential statement?
UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous also briefed the Security Council behind closed doors, but unlike his predecessors -- and unlike Ging, and in the past Haile Menkerios -- provided no information on the topics, including Abyei, the referendum and the his still not released report on the UN's failure to protect the Dinka Ngok Paramount Chief there.
This lack of transparency of UN Peacekeeping under Ladsous is becoming more and more pronounced. At Monday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press said it it had questions about the Democratic Republic of the Congo and about Lebanon. (UN Peacekeeping has missions in both places.)
Spokesperson Martin Nesirky said, Choose one. But on Inner City Press' question of what Ladsous' MONUSCO mission is doing about reports of arrests and even robbery of civilians in Kiwanja and Bunagana, Nesirky had nothing. Still the Lebanon question, about spying, could not be asked. This is the UN, and Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping. Watch this site.
