By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 15, updated at end -- After UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos gave a closed door briefing about Southern Kordofan to the Security Council, the New York representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic came to present the issue to the press.
Inner City Press asked Simonovic who in the UN system, or which unit, was being able to report from Southern Kordofan, and what he and his Office made of allegation that UN peacekeepers, even before their mandate expired on July 9, didn't do enough to protect civilians in Kordofan.
Simonovic said that reporting is difficult because on July 9 “we lost our mandate [and] our presence.”
It was not clear who Simonovic meant when he said “we.” The Amos-headed UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs? Or are all representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights attached to the UN Mission in Sudan, which ended on July 9?
Simonovic indicated that they were tied to the Mission. One wonders if they tried to negotiate with Omar al Bashir's government before then to be able to stay. If not, why not? Simonovic took two questions from Inner City Press -- he dodged the question of inaction by Egyptian peacekeepers, perhaps because his Office is entirely aligned with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations -- and then he left.
It is important that the UN be clear on what expired on July 9. On July 13 Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky about the bombing in Kordofan:
Inner City Press: There are these reports of continued bombing in Kadugli and South Kordofan. It says the UN has reported, I guess to BBC, that these bombs are falling. One, can you confirm that? And two, this would seem to indicate that the UN is at least in a position to report what they hear or see. I am just trying to figure out what the UN presence in Kordofan is going to be between now and the end of August. Is there going to be some kind of at least visual observation and reporting?
Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, it depends on what you mean by the UN, Matthew, because there is a UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) which is now being liquidated, because that’s what has to happen. And there are other members of the UN family, so to speak, who would also presumably be in the area, too. That’s the first point. The second is that I would need to check with my colleagues to see whether they have any further information on the bombings that you have referred to. But we’ve made clear, I have made clear from here, that the UN Mission in Sudan is in now the phase of winding down. It no longer has a mandate to operate. It’s not what we wanted, but it is a fact. And so, therefore, it is not possible for the Mission — the previous Mission — to be active in patrolling and so on. I would need to find out if these reports are correct and where they emanate from.
Inner City Press: There are these reports of continued bombing in Kadugli and South Kordofan. It says the UN has reported, I guess to BBC, that these bombs are falling. One, can you confirm that? And two, this would seem to indicate that the UN is at least in a position to report what they hear or see. I am just trying to figure out what the UN presence in Kordofan is going to be between now and the end of August. Is there going to be some kind of at least visual observation and reporting?
Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, it depends on what you mean by the UN, Matthew, because there is a UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) which is now being liquidated, because that’s what has to happen. And there are other members of the UN family, so to speak, who would also presumably be in the area, too. That’s the first point. The second is that I would need to check with my colleagues to see whether they have any further information on the bombings that you have referred to. But we’ve made clear, I have made clear from here, that the UN Mission in Sudan is in now the phase of winding down. It no longer has a mandate to operate. It’s not what we wanted, but it is a fact. And so, therefore, it is not possible for the Mission — the previous Mission — to be active in patrolling and so on. I would need to find out if these reports are correct and where they emanate from.
Two full days later, Nesirky had not provide any information in this regard. Now Simonovic has said that the human rights monitoring in Southern Kordofan was so aligned with UN peacekeeping that “we lost our mandate and presence.”
Later on Friday Security Council president Peter Wittig came and read out some “elements to the press” summarizing the Council's discussion. A real Press Statement could not be agreed on.
Inner City Press asked if the satellite photographs reportedly of mass graves had been discussed. Wittig replied that Amos had used different sources.
Later, Amos released a statement with this sentence in which the word “grave” appears three times: “We do not know whether there is any truth to the grave allegations of extra-judicial killings, mass graves and other grave violations in South Kordofan.”
Inner City Press asked Wittig why this wasn't even a Press Statement, and wouldn't go on the Council's web site. We thought speed was important, Wittig said. But what is being accomplished? Who is even trying?
Upate of 5:56 pm -- sources in the negotiations says that "some delegations" wanted to list the specific allegation (though not including the satellite photos), and others wanted to "welcome" OHCHR's intention to issue a report in the future -- both were blocked, or could not be agreed by 2pm. Hence the mere "elements to the press." Watch this site.
