In Egypt, Shafik Now Won't Run, UN Amina J. Mohammed Was Silent, As Now on Abuja Disappearances

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 8 – In Egypt, Ahmed Shafik who was deported from the UAE to Cairo when it was reported he would run for the Egyptian presidency has announced that he will not; his lawyers say the Sisi government coerced him with threats to drop out. When Inner City Press asked the UN about Shafik in December, when Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed was in Egypt "enjoying the light show," the UN had no comment.

 Now Mohammed is in Abuja in "her" Nigeria right when nine leaders pursued by Cameroon's dictator Paul Biya have been grabbed up, by Nigerian security. She and the UN have had nothing to say. To this has the UN descended: acquiescence and even complicity in tyrants shutting down their opposition. We'll have more on this. On December 1 UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric who has refused to answer Inner City Press' rosewood questions announced that Amina Mohammed "will depart New York for Cairo to hold consultations with senior Egyptian Government officials." So far, with no read-outs at all from the UN, there is only Egyptian government propaganda, that "Upon her arrival at Cairo International Airport, she was received by Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister for African Affairs Mohamed Idrees and the UN Resident Coordinator to Egypt Richard Dictus. The chairman of Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Mohamed to attend the sound and light show at the Giza Pyramids which she enjoyed greatly and noted in the VIP Guest Book which the General Manager of Sound and Light invited her to sign." That's it? Meanwhile the same Egyptian state media that Mohammed's and Alison Smale's UN DPI retains in Inner City Press' long-time UN workspace, Akhbar al Yom, reports darkly that Ahmed Shafik "is facing charges of violating building regulations and will be investigated on the matter within the coming hours, state-run Akhbar Al-Youm indicated on Sunday." Mohammed favors this state media, and is silent on the crackdown but "enjoyed greatly" the sound and light show. Next stop, rosewood unresolved: Wall Street!