By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 26, more here – After Inner City Press received a leaked copy of Sudan UN Development Program Country Director Yvonne Helle's December 24 e-mail saying she had been ordered to leave the country, it reported it and asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about it at the UN's noon briefing on December 24. Story here, video from UN noon briefing here.
Inner City Press also asked Sudan for its reason for that expulsion order, and the next days (which Inner City Press also first reported) of Resident Coordinator Ali al-Za'tari.
Now Sudan's Foreign Ministry has issued a statement out both expulsions or PNGs (persona non grata). As Inner City Press has reported, as to Za'tari the stated reasons is an interview he gave to a Norwegian publication. Za'tari said he was misquoted; Sudan says they gave time to be convinced by an audio tape but it did not happen.
As to Yvonne Helle, Sudan says she cut funding to programs; it is helpfully added, h/t, that she is called "arrogant."
Sudan directly pushes back at Ban Ki-moon's December 25 statement, the next day. This can be contrasted from Ban and the UN Security Council and Za'tari saying nothing publicly when Sudan similarly expelled UNFPA's Pamela DeLargy.
Inner City Press, which inquired with UNFPA at the time and again today, now understands that UNFPA told Ban's office about Ms DeLargy's PNG but that nothing was ever said, after UNDP lobbied to silence to not "undermine" Za'tari. And now he's out.
Tellingly, Dujarric had no comment on Helle being thrown out of Sudan, just as the UN had been silent on the similar ouster of the UNPFA country director in Sudan in April, and a UN aid officer from Darfur in the Fall, as reported by Inner City Press.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at his December 17 press conference rejected a Press question about the cover up of rapes in Darfur by UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous, and declined the same question, also from Inner City Press, at his three-question stakeout on December 22. (Two of the picked questions were about North Korea.)
Then on December 25, after Inner City Press first reported that UN Resident Coordinator Ali Al Za'tari, who had docilely accepted the ouster of Helle and of the UNFPA before that, was himself being thrown out, Dujarric at 1:32 pm finally sent Inner City Press an e-mail answering its question from noon on December 24, and written questions after that. The UN had “filed a protest” (Agence France Presse, a defender of Ladsous, said this quote was “said to AFP.” Note that Inner City Press has put in questions to UNFPA and OCHA. We'lll have more on these.)
But this is how the way things work gets mystified: coverage belatedly began, Ban Ki-moon Stands Up to Sudan. Does he? Why not comment on the first ouster order by Sudan? Why exclude then dodge questions about the cover up of the Darfur rapes by UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous?
As noted late yesterday, the New York Times piece from 40,000 feet about Darfur misleads by casting UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous as one of the good guys, and omitting mention of 132 non-governmental organizations and Sudan experts having written to Ban tourge him to fire Ladsous for under-performance in Sudan, here.
But worse than the NYT is Reuters, which after arriving late to and without given any credit for the story quotes Ladsous that the UN will remain in Darfur. Really? (Reuters UN bureau chief has said he has a policy of not crediting Inner City Press, then censored from Search his “for the record” anti-Press complaint to the UN, here via EFF's ChillingEffects.org).
For the record, publications such as Sudan Tribune andRadio Tamazuj credit Inner City Press, here and here. But it is beyond appropriation – the timing is important. Al Jazeera, for example, “reports” that “A UN spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anoymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media,* said Ali Zaatari and Yvonne Helle were ordered to leave on Thursday.”
That's NOT what happened. Helle was ordered out on Wednesday, December 24; the UN said nothing, even when Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman, on UNTV, about it. So then on December 25 a higher UN official was thrown out.
* - What kind of spokesperson is "not authorized to speak to the media"?
The UN's own cover ups and silences are part of the story. Watch this site.
