by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
UN GATE, May 20 – As the military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces shoot it out in Khartoum and its airport, the United Nations (which has taken and wasted billions from the public under Antonio Guterres, in Sudan as elsewhere) has been useless.
On April 24, Guterres in a UN Security Council meeting chaired by Sergei Lavrov bloviated, "I have authorized the temporary relocation both inside and outside Sudan of some United Nations personnel, and of families." As in Haiti, Afghanistan and elsewhere, local UN staff are left in the lurch. Today's UN is all about #TonysCronies.
On May 11, two Senior US State Department Officials (1 and 2) bragged about their work with the Saudis on a statement of commitment to humanitarian principles, not a ceasefire. They were asked about criticism even from Jeffrey Feltman, and disagreed, while citing worke with the quad (initially misidentified as the quartet; IGAD was called a meaningless name).
Official 1 said not to expect compliance; Official 2 called it the hardest thing worked on. The UN, tellingly, was barely mentioned; nor was the Saudis' grinding up of journalist Khashoggi. Nor was the UN mentioned in this, on May 20:
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America announce that on May 20, 2023, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces signed an Agreement on a Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements. The short-term ceasefire, which enters into force 48 hours after the signing of the Agreement, shall remain in effect for seven days and may be extended with the agreement of both parties."
Inner City Press, which before Guterres' reign of censorship was in the UN, and accompanied and covered a UN Security Council mission to Khartoum and Juba, recently asked Guterres' spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming:
"On Sudan, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on that Sudanese security forces in the capital have fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse thousands of people protesting against military rule. The demonstrators marched towards the presidential palace but were chased away by police. They dismissed a deal signed recently between the military and civilians, saying it was too vague."
No answer at all.
In New York, spokesman-censor Dujarric read a statement in response to softball questions (video here), while refusing Inner City Press' written questions, which he'd promised to answer, here.
Inner City Press has appealed its ban, to UN Security boss Gilles Michaud as PGA President Csaba Korosi's spokesperson Paulina Kubiak directed. Still, no answer.
So how can a US journalists with an NYC Press Press, invited to briefings from the IMF to the DOJ, remain barred from even entering the UN like a tourist? Since the UN won't answer, you'd have to asked USUN - or Bass or McPhee.
More on Substack here.
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