By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 9 -- About the Central African Republic, too, the UN talks a lot but does not answer questions. Early Tuesday the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs began hyping up a visit to CAR later this week by Baroness Valerie Amos and the EU's humanitarian chief Kristalina Georgieva.
A recent study by Medecins Sans Frontieres, which the UN also tweeted, says there are no international staff outside of the capital Bangui, due to UN rules.
So it seemed, at least to the Free UN Coalition for Accesswhich is assessing the UN's responsiveness that the UN should answer: if it's true they're confined to the capital and if they're thinking of changing the rules.
These rules, even before the Seleka coup, led to little to no UN service to Haut-Mbomou prefecture and its capital Obo, as Inner City Press has previously covered, here.
At Tuesday's noon briefing, Inner City Press told Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spokesperson Martin Nesirky, I have questions about the Central African Republic and Haiti, but first one on Syria. But after that, while allowing others multiple questions, he never took the CAR question.
When an answer came to @FUNCA_Questions, it was from the EU's Georgieva, saying she is looking forward to traveling outside of Bangui and that she'll answer at that time, in two days.
Inner City Press previously asked Georgieva about aid workers in Syria and gotten an even-handed answer, of something not being black and white. Increasingly this UN is not even handed. But shouldn't they at least take and answer questions?
Georgieva's response Tuesday was immediately repeated on @FUNCA_info, like a virtual quick stakeout for anyone to see; this is how the UN and its allies should be but aren't. We'll have more on this. Watch this site.
