On Gambia, ICP Asked UN About Sarr's Promotion, UNchecked 1 Week

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 3 – As in The Gambia Yahya Jammeh moved on December 1 to shut off the Internet (and Viber, etc) for the / his election, there was again a deafening silence from the UN and its “communications” chief Cristina Gallach. 

This was true of Ban during earlier crackdowns in Gambia, here.

Now that Jammeh has reversed himself and denounced the results, ECOWAS is talking intervention. Ban Ki-moon was still silent, entirely focused on his own ambitions in South Korea.  

 On December 22, video here, Inner City Press asked about the replacement of Gambia's "Permanent" Representative to the UN Mamadou Tangara by the Deputy Sam Sarr, about whose previously F-bomb filled threat to kill the opposition Inner City Press asked the UN in May, here.

   On the morning of December 27, Inner City Press asked three UN spokespeople:

"On Gambia, please state if the UN Secretariat has been informed that Sam Sarr is the new Permanent Representative, and please provide the Secretary General's view, as Inner City Press requested on May 11, 2016, of the audio of Sam Sarr saying if he were in charge, he'd shoot all the protesters."

  A week later, from the UN's spokespeople no answer, not even a confirmation of receipt - while they threatened legal action for reporting on Ban's corruption.

On January 3, Inner City Press asked lead spokeman Stephane Duajrric, who bragged he'll be staying on for at least six more months, about Gambia and Sarr, UN Transcript here: 

Inner City Press: I’d also asked you on Gambia… I know that there have been a lot of statements before the holiday, but has Sam Sarr, the previous Deputy Permanent Representative, officially registered himself as a Permanent Representative?  Because something was taped saying his opponent should be killed.

Spokesman:  I don’t know.  We can check with the protocol office. 

  That could and should have been done a week ago.