As UN Is Urged to Monitor Sudan Moving Militia, DPKO Chief Claims No Mandate

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 29 -- As Sudan's government drives civilians perceived to be opponents out of Blue Nile State, the UN's new head of Peacekeeper Herve Ladsous has told Inner City Press that the peacekeeping mission in Darfur, UNAMID, has no mandate to monitor the government's reported flying of Janjaweed militia from Darfur to Blue Nile.

Shocked by this answer from a billion dollar a year UN peacekeeping mission, Inner City Press put the question to several Permanent Representatives on the Security Council, including US Ambassador Susan Rice, asking her whether she thought UNAMID could or should monitor flights from Darfur allegedly full of janjaweed transported by the government to Blue Nile State.

Ambassador Rice said, "I'd have to take a close look at the text of recent mandates but I'm not aware of anything that would make that clear."

Inner City Press asked about the UN having an abiding duty to stop war crimes

Ambassador Rice said, "I don't think it's specifically mandated."

Further inquiry with the US Mission to the UN resulted, some days later on October 28, in this more detailed answer from the US Mission's Deputy Spokesman Payton Knopf:

“We’ve reviewed the mandates. UNAMID has a mandate from 2007 to monitor, verify, and promote efforts to disarm the Janjaweed and other militias. It can’t be expected to fulfill this mandate outside of Darfur. However, we would urge UNAMID to do all it can within its capabilities and area of deployment to track, deter, and report on any movements by air of Janjaweed to areas outside of Darfur.”

It would seem that the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and its chief should also know about the mandate of UNAMID with regard to disarming the Janjaweed.

So Inner City Press went again on October 28 to ask this UN, this time the Deputy Spokesperson of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon:

Inner City Press: There is continued fighting in Blue Nile State of Sudan, and previously I’ve asked, the SPLA-North has alleged that Janjaweed fighters, the same militia that have been active in Darfur are being flown there, and I was told that there was no way they can monitor it. But in the mandate of UNAMID, they’re supposed to promote efforts to disarm the Janjaweed and other militias. So I wanted to know how this doesn’t include ensuring that armed Janjaweed militias are not flown elsewhere in Sudan to aid the Government in fighting rebels.

Deputy Spokesperson: Well, have you checked with DPKO now?

Inner City Press: Mr. Ladsous himself has said they’re not going to do it, and what I wanted to know is,how can that be? How can they ignore their mandate when people are being killed in Blue Nile State? That’s my question to you.

Deputy Spokesperson: Well, I think Mr. Ladsous has answered that question to you.

Inner City Press: then my question to Ban Ki-moon is how is it acceptable that the Head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations either hasn’t read the mandate or refuses to enforce it?

Deputy Spokesperson: Well, we’ll have to check and see...

No further answer was added to the UN's transcript of the October 28 noon briefing, where the Deputy Spokesperson said to look for it.

And so again we ask: how is it acceptable that the Head of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations either hasn’t read the mandate or refuses to enforce it? Ladsous is on mission to Sudan -- will this issue follow him there? Watch this site.

Asked of Sudan Flying Darfur Militia to Blue Nile, Ladsous Says No Mandate to Track

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 25, updated -- The UN spends over $1 billion a year in Darfur, purportedly peacekeeping. But when SPLM-North alleges that Sudan is flying janjawiid militia from there to Blue Nile state, the UN's Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous tells Inner City Press, "We have no mandate to follow who is flying from where."

The war crimes charges against Sudanese president Omar al Bashir and his Southern Kordofan governor Ahmed Haroun involve the use of the janjawiid to murder Dar, Fur and Zagawa people. The UN and its Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says it has a principle of opposing war crimes and genocide and pursuing accountability.

So how can the UN, or at least its new Peacekeeping chief, say there is "no mandate to follow who is flying from where"?

A Council diplomat, asked by Inner City Press about Ladsous statement, said "that doesn't sound right." We'll see.

Inner City Press asked this question more than 29 hours ago, at Monday's noon briefing:

Inner City Press; on Sudan. The SPLM-North is saying that Janjaweed fighters are being flown by the Government of Sudan from Darfur, specifically from Nyala and Aljenina, into Blue Nile State to actually fight there. And so I wondered, I understand that United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) is no longer on the ground or has some logistical [liquidation mission], but since these will be flights from Darfur, where the UN does have a big peacekeeping mission, can the UN verify this? is ittrue, is it not true? If it were happening, would it be problematic and what would the UN say or do about it?

Spokesperson: Let me ask my peacekeeping colleagues, okay?

More than 29 hour later, there had been no answer. Ladsous left a closed door Security Council session and as he went up the stairs, Inner City Press asked him the same question, in necessarily shortened form. The response was that "We have no mandate to follow who is flying from where." Really?

Meanwhile Ladsous is preparing to fly to Juba, Abyei and Khartoum. Will he do anything at all about the more and more detailed reports of UN peacekeepers doing nothing as people were killed in front of their base in Kadugli? Watch this site.

Update: and this position of Ladsous is (now) the position of the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations, from which after 29 hours the following emerged:

Subject: Your question on Darfur
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply @un.org
Date: Tue, Oct 25, 2011
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations informs us that:

"UNAMID does not have a mandate to monitor government flights in Darfur and is hence not in a position to verify this."

On Sudan, UN Ban Admits Limits on Peacekeepers, Gambari Summoned, Change Pledged

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1sudan090910.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 9 -- In Darfur a week ago, UN Peacekeepers refused a request by the relatives of those killed and injured by janjaweed in the Tabarat Market to go to the location and try to protect those injured.

Inner City Press obtained and published an internal document of the joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur, UNAMID, which said that approval had to be sought before the peacekeepers could go even to a site where injured people were dying.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held a brief media availability on September 9, and Inner City Press asked him about the Tarabat Market killings, the restrictions on movement on UNAMID, and the failure of the other UN Mission in Sudan, UNMIS, to view the body of killed Darfuri student Mohamed Musa when they were told of his death on February 12 of this year.

Mr. Ban acknowledged problems in obtaining the “support” of the Sudanese government, and said that he summoned UNAMID chief Ibrahim Gambari to his recent retreat in Austria to discuss these and other problems. The Justice and Equality Movement rebels in Darfur have demanded Gambari's resignation for failure to protect civilians.

While Ban's candor was surprising to some, to characterize the UN's decision to await approvals before endeavoring to protect civilians as a problem of “administrative support” from the Sudanese authorities misses the point.

A billion dollars are being spent on each mission, UNAMID and UNMIS. They have armed peacekeepers, armored personnel carriers, and helicopters which they have allowed Sudan to block them from using.

Since these restrictions violate the status of forces agreements the UN has with Sudan, it is unclear why the UN -- or mission chiefs Gambari and Haile Menkerios -- accept the restrictions.

Both went to the inauguration of Omar Al Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide. Menkerios, the UN has admitted to Inner City Press, simply wants to return to New York in a year's time. He rarely speaks to the press in Sudan. He doesn't want to rock the boat.

Here is the UN's transcript of Inner City Press' questions and Mr. Ban's responses, video here --

Inner City Press: It turns out that, despite the protection of civilians mandate of UNAMID, that in several recent instances, peacekeepers have been telling relatives of victims that they need to get approval before they can leave their bases to go out. Most recently it was at the Tabarat market in Jebel Marra. They told them that they had to get approval before they could go. By the time they went, some people who had been injured were in fact dead. So what I am wondering is, what is the policy of the UN in terms of seeking approval from the Government? There is also a case in Khartoum in which a dead Darfuri student that was allegedly tortured, UNMIS (UN Mission in Sudan) was unable to get access to his body until it was too late. So, what is the policy of the UN in terms of its freedom of movement to protect civilians in Sudan?

SG Ban Ki-moon: In some cases it is true that there was some difficulty in getting smooth administrative support from the Government of Sudan. That has been the subject of continuous consultation with the Sudanese Government. During my visit to Austria last week I called in Mr. [Ibrahim] Gambari to Vienna, and I got a briefing on the situation and how we can ensure a smoother and more effective coordination and support from the Sudanese Government. We are aware of such problems and we will continue to improve the situation.

Inner City Press: Does it violate the Status of Forces Agreement, that the UN hasn’t been to parts of Jebel Marra since February? That is what John Holmes said before he left, that there are whole regions of Darfur they haven’t been able to reach.

SG Ban Ki-moon: There is a Status of [Forces] Agreement, of course. They should be faithful to provide the necessary support and cooperation. In reality, when we are not able to get such support, it really constrains the movement of our people and peacekeepers. We will do our best to improve this situation.

Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1sudan090910.html