Rejecting Clooney, Annan and UNSC, Former UN Official Kapila Urges Support to Armed Opposition Group in Sudan

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.

    

As UN Called "Immoral" on Yida in South Sudan, UN Denies, Stonewalls on Syria

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 19 -- There there's a lack of necessary services in the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan is said not only by George Clooney but by Dr. Mukesh Kapila, the UN's former top humanitarian official in Sudan.

Kapila said that the UN's "humanitarian policy led by UNHCR is to severely restrict aid going in to needy civilians in Yida, pressurizing them to move by not giving them enough food, water, and other needs." He called it "immoral, unethical and anti-humanitarian." And he should know.

Inner City Press asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's lead spokesman Martin Nesirky about it on March 16:

Inner City Press: Mukesh Kapila, who used to be the head aid official for Sudan, has gone public and said that the UN system is choosing to not serve refugees that are in the Yida camp in Unity State in South Sudan. These are people that fled Southern Kordofan, that they choose to remain as close to their homes as they can, but that the UN has chosen not to fund NGOs, schools and other services in that camp. Is that in fact the case, and if so, why would the UN not be serving the refugees where they want to remain?

Spokesperson Neskiry: I think we’ll start with the first part of the question and see what we can find out, Matthew. In other words, is it the case or not?

Inner City Press: He said it seems like [inaudible]

Spokesperson Nesirky: That may well be the case, Matthew, but let’s check.

Three days later, not having gotten any answer from Nesirky, Inner City Press asked his deputy, Eduardo Del Buey:

Inner City Press: I wanted to ask --

Deputy Spokesperson: One more question.

Inner City Press: Martin said he would look into this allegation by a former UN official that the UN system is not providing aid to the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan…

Deputy Spokesperson: Yes, we are exploring that, and when we have an answer we will get back to you.

Later on Monday the following arrived:

Subject: Your question on Yida refugee camp
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 3:06 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

UNHCR has informed us of the following: UNHCR and partners continues to assist refugees in Yida. UNHCR has been working with various partners to provide basic life-sustaining assistance to refugees in Yida, including protection monitoring, community services and food. Moreover, UNHCR is providing funding support to one of two health clinics in Yida as well as two protection NGO partners. UNHCR has also recently completed a full registration of the refugee population which helps identify persons with specific needs and tailor protection and assistance interventions that respond to the broader needs of the refugee population.

That is, the UN and UNHCR deny entirely what the UN's own former top aid official in Sudan, among others, is saying -- without even directly addressing what the official has said.

This while the current UN of Ban Ki-moon is relying almost entirely on former and retired UN officials of the Kofi Annan era to try to mediate in Syria: Nicholas Michel, Jean Marie Guehenno, Alan Doss, Lamine Cisse. Inner City Press asked Nesirky on March 16:

Inner City Press: is this now the time that you can say who is working with Kofi Annan on his team? Is it possible to say if Mr. Guéhenno is a deputy, if Nasser Al-Kidwa will be going Sunday and what the UN role will be in this technical negotiation team.

Spokesperson: If I have anything Matthew, I’ll let you know on that. The most important thing is that they have a job to do and, as you heard Mr. Annan say just a few moments ago, which was why I delayed the start of the briefing, that team is scheduled to go in as a technical team to continue those discussions that the Joint Special Envoy mentioned.

Inner City Press: I have tried to get the names, so I just want to ask you for a comment on this. Some are saying that because Kofi Annan’s team, at least visually as seen on television, not as provided by your Office, consists of so many former UN officials, many retired officials like Alan Doss, Guéhenno, Nicolas Michel, that somehow it either shows a kind of a lack of a new generation of UN people, or somehow reflects strangely on the current UN, that in fact all these retired UN former people have to be called in. What would be your response to that?

Spokesperson: None whatsoever at this point, Matthew.

And there has been no response in the three days since. Watch this site.

With Sudan in Crisis, UN Dodges Questions of Destroyed Village and Arrests, Clooney DC Follies

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 13, updated Oct 14 -- While the UN speaks about how important Sudan is to it, it refuses to answer basic questions, both in its New York headquarters and in Sudan.

On October 11, having returned from the Security Council trip to Sudan during which, among other things, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Georg Charpentier neglected to tell the Council about the village of Sora in Darfur being entirely destroyed the previously week, and the internally displaced people who spoke with the Council were subsequently interrogated and intimidated by Sudanese authorities, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky about both of these issues.

On both issues on October 11, Nesirky said “let's find out.” When asked again about Sora at the UN noon briefing on October 12, Nesirky said “I can assure you that something is in the works. I don’t have anything for you right now. Something is in the works.”

Thirty hours after that, 54 hours after the Sora question was asked, nothing, no response at all.

And so early on October 13, Inner City Press directed three questions to the Spokesperson for the UN Mission in Sudan... which were only responded too evasively 24 hours later, here.]

The Q&A with the UN Spokesman is transcribed below. But in Washington DC George Clooney, with whom the UN Security Council met with for longer than they met with IDPs, was reported to be asking for Congressional action. What action?

One media outlet said he was raising issues of Darfur, which he didn't visit. How seriously is South Sudan, much less Darfur, being taken?

From the UN's October 11 then October 12 noon briefings:

Inner City Press: On Sudan, following the Council’s visit to the Abu Shouk internally displaced persons camp, I guess that was on Friday, there have been reports that the people they spoke with had been interrogated by Sudanese authorities, and in some cases, arrested. I am wondering if UNAMID is aware of that or the UN, I mean the UN system more broadly, and what they intend to do about it?

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Let’s find out.

Protest in Khartoum, UN and Clooney not shown (c) MRLee

Inner City Press: The other, as we left there, some, Mr. [Georg] Charpentier had provided a document that seems to indicate that, in the week before the Council’s visit, a village called Sora in eastern Jebel Marra was “entirely, completely burned down”. I know that Mr. Charpentier briefed the Council members, but none of them on the way back seemed to… this wasn’t mentioned to them. I am wondering... what does UNAMID and Mr. Charpentier do when a village is entirely destroyed? Is it an important thing? Is it the kind of thing that they should brief the Council about?

Spokesperson: Can you roll back and tell me again, because it is sort of confusing.

Inner City Press: Okay. Among documents that Mr. Charpentier provided at the end of the trip…

Spokesperson: To whom?

Inner City Press: He gave it into the press bus, saying that this would just verify things that he’d said about things not being a problem in Jebel Marra. But deep in the document, it says that a village named Sora was completely burned down. It doesn’t say whether it was by ground fighting or an aerial attack. But if it’s aerial, it seems it would be the Government. None of the Security Council ambassadors on the way back had been aware of this or had been briefed on this. So, I guess my question, it’s a twofold one, factually it would be is it possible to discover from Mr. Charpentier, whose document this is, whether the village of Sora was destroyed from the air or by ground? And maybe some statement on why, in the briefing that he gave to the Council, this destruction was not raised?

Spokesperson: I am assuming you didn’t raise it with him yourself, because it was passed into the bus, and then you read it after the bus pulled away?

Inner City Press: I read it actually on the way back, yes, yes.

Spokesperson: Right. Okay, well let’s relay that back whence you just came.

A full 24 hours later, noon briefing of October 12:

Inner City Press: I wanted to ask a couple of questions about Sudan. One is, there has been, I guess in the last 24 hours, there have been a couple of developments. One is a quote by President [Omer Hassan] al-Bashir that he will not accept any alternative to unity, which many people say is basically a threat not to accept the “yes” vote if the vote is in fact held 9 January. So I am wondering, there was a statement made on 24 September, but this statement by al-Bashir seems to be totally contradictory to it. So, I am just wondering, what’s the process for either UNMIS [United Nations Mission in Sudan] or the Secretariat to… What did they think of that statement? And also there was an arrest made on Saturday, as it turns out, of these pro-secession people in Khartoum as part of the demonstration. They were not only beaten, but it turns out they were arrested. So the SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] has said that’s a bad move and violates the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] that they are not allowed to campaign for secession. Does the UN have any response to that?

Spokesperson Nesirky: On that second question, I’ll see what we can get you on that. I don’t have anything right now. On the first question, I would indeed refer back to the statement, the communiqué, that was issued. I don’t think we will be commenting on every twist and turn. The basic principles of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement are well-known, and the communiqué speaks very clearly about the need to stay on track.

Inner City Press: Did you get anything back on this issue of this village of Sora that was listed as being…?

Spokesperson: I can assure you that something is in the works. I don’t have anything for you right now. Something is in the works.

But 30 hours later, nothing. Watch this site.

Footnote: while Nesirky held a noon briefing on October 13, he had only just begun to take questions when he stopped, to present guests who had spent three hours working toward a future report. When they were done, so was Nesirky: he didn't ask if there were many more questions. But there were...

At the UN, George Clooney Says that in Lockheed Martin's Sole Source Darfur Deal, Mistakes Were Made, "I'm Not a Fan of No-Bid Contracts"

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1lockheedclooney013108.html

UNITED NATIONS, January 31 -- "I'm not a fan of no-bid contracts, myself," actor and UN Messenger of Peace George Clooney said Thursday, when asked about the UN's $250 million sole source deal with Lockheed Martin for its Darfur peacekeeping mission. Next to Clooney sat UN official Jane Holl Lute, who as early of April 2007 advocated for steering the business to Lockheed, three months before the Security Council authorized the "UNAMID" peacekeeping mission, and five months before Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon unilaterally waived all contracting rules for UNAMID. "There've been some mistakes made in that period of time," Clooney said, adding that "the UN has learned lessons." Video here, from Minute 18:54.

But what lessons? Clooney turned to Jane Holl Lute to answer the question, and she argued that the lack of competition was authorized, if only after-the-fact, by the Secretary-General's October 2007 ruling, and she disputed that the General Assembly has called for an investigation of the Lockheed contract. Unclear what lessons except denial had taken hold, Inner City Press asked a follow-up question about the timeline of the decision to give the deal to Lockheed, and the after-arising Security Council vote and Ban Ki-moon ruling. "I'm willing to sit down and go over the timeline," Ms. Lute said, after having refused or ignored request since October to answer questions about her role in the deal, including any safeguards concerning the possible conflicts of interest raised by her husband's service as U.S. President Bush's war czar for Iraq and Afghanistan. "We learned a lot, as George mentioned," she said.

It is striking that while the UN Secretariat has been dismissive of the concerns raised about the contract by the member states in the General Assembly, it takes the gentle chiding of an actor and new Messenger of Peace to eke out at least an admission that lessons have been learned. Such is the power of celebrity, or the lack of democracy within the UN system. The Secretariat in theory works for all of the members states in the General Assembly. But several Ambassadors complained that Ms. Lute's peacekeeping support office did not answer all their questions about the contract, but that they had no choice but to approve UNAMID's budget as submitted in December, lest they be accused of abetting genocide in Darfur.

To his credit, while Clooney could have responded either that he did not know about the contract, or have reflexively defended all UN decisions, he instead nodded with recognition when Inner City Press asked the question, and then acknowledged that mistakes had been made. Video here, from Minute 18:54. We will report on this topic again once Ms. Lute, as promised, makes herself available to answer questions about the timeline of her advocating for Lockheed Martin to get the no-bid contract and related matters.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1lockheedclooney013108.html

UN Backtracks on Transparency While Official Who Pushed for No-Bid Lockheed Contract Now Pushes to Get George Clooney into Darfur

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/nobrief010808.html

UNITED NATIONS, January 8 -- A day after Ban Ki-moon pledged transparency about the UN's $250 million no-bid contract with U.S.-based military contractor Lockheed Martin, his spokesperson changed course and said that there will be no answers from an official who pushed for Lockheed, Jane Holl Lute. In early December, the spokesperson said that such a briefing would be provided after the General Assembly voted on the related Darfur peacekeeping mission budget. Last week, when Inner City Press asked about that vote, in which the General Assembly expressed concerning about the "single-source" contract to Lockheed and asked for an investigation, the spokesperson again said a briefing would be provided, but that officials were away. Tuesday, this too was revoked. Jane Holl Lute having been spotted on the street outside the UN on Monday night, Inner City Press asked when the briefing would be. Jane Holl Lute is very busy with the deployment in Darfur, the spokesperson said, adding that in her view no briefing is necessary.

[Later on Tuesday, Inner City Press was informed that as part of her deployment work, Jane Holl Lute has sought permission to include the actor George Clooney in an ostensibly "technical" mission.]

Back on October 16, Inner City Press asked, "is the contract going to be made public"? The spokesperson replied, "Sure, yes, yes." Click here for transcript. But the contract has never been made public.

On October 25, when Inner City Press asked again about the lack of competition, the spokesperson said "I think we should get the question to Peacekeeping."

On Wednesday, November 21 Inner City Press asked, "maybe it's for DPKO to answer, but whoever briefed the Security Council leading up to the UNAMID resolution, Russia wants to have asked, why weren't they told that this process began in April?" The spokesperson said, "Yes, we can get that question to DPKO." Then another journalist asked, "could we have a briefing?"

Spokesperson: There was a briefing by Mr. Guehenno where he addressed that issue of the 750 and the 250. I think he answered specifically that question, if I remember correctly. I can go back to the record and find out. Warren Sach and Alicia Barcena also spoke on this

Inner City Press: but the only thing is that since Mr. Sach spoke here, documents have emerged showing that Warren Sach himself wrote a memo criticizing the contract... it would be really good to have a briefing on that...

Spokesperson: Okay, we can try to get someone for you from DPKO

Question: ... would it be possible to have a briefing on that contract, to...

Question: Yes, absolutely. We would like to know how...

Spokesperson: Sure. We can get someone from DPKO to come and discuss the specificities of the contract.

On Monday, November 26, Inner City Press followed up: "On Wednesday there were a number of reporters [who] asked to have a briefing about this, the Lockheed Martin contract for the UNAMID deployment? Is the Guehenno stakeout going to be that?"

The spokesperson answered, "We are still asking for one a fuller one. But we don't have an answer yet. As you know, Mr. Guehenno was traveling. He just got back."

In fact, Mr. Guehenno has not spoken publicly about the Lockheed contract. His deputy Edmond Mulet told Inner City Press, "You have to asked DFS," which Jane Holl Lute heads. On January 2, Inner City Press asked, "You also said that, once the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly has ruled, then we would get a briefing on it. Now that that's done, and two weeks have gone by, can be get such a briefing by either Jane Holl Lute or whoever?" The spokesperson said, "I will try to get that. Of course not everyone is back yet."

Then Jane Holl Lute was seen, and the question asked again. Now she is too busy, and the various statements above apparently did not mean what they seemed to mean. Meanwhile, later on Tuesday, Inner City Press was informed that as part of her deployment work, Jane Holl Lute has sought permission to include the actor George Clooney in an ostensibly "technical" mission. Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/nobrief010808.html