UNAMID’s Work in Darfur versus UNMISS’s in South Sudan
By Malith Alier
UNAMID Whistleblower: UNAMID Work in Darfur is a Cynical Farce
What about UNMISS in South Sudan?
UNAMID stands for United Nations Assistant Mission in Darfur. This UN mission in Darfur came about as a result of the 2003 conflict by the sons of Darfur with government of Sudan. The conflict killed and displaced several tens of thousands of people in the Western region of the Sudan. This was at the time the then Southern Sudan was about to ink a Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The negotiations were on progress toward that goal. However, today, the 9 of April 2014, the former Spokesperson of UNAMID drops a bombshell about the work of the UN mission in Sudan. Aicha el Basri calls the work of that UN force a “cynical farce” according to the BBC focus on Africa.
What is then a cynical farce?
A cynical farce is a travesty or circus carried out by a pessimistic person or organisation like UNAMID. These were the words of a former UNAMID’s spokesperson turned whistleblower. A whistleblower is someone who discloses secret information about an organisation he/she worked former. The most recent whistle blower is Edward Snowden, a former CIA worker who is now taken asylum in Russia.
It is always said that any actions done in secret will one day be broadcast on the rooftops. This is what happened to UNAMID under the former head, Ibrahim Gambari. It may also still the case today.
It is good that this information has come in the backdrop of several strikes against UNMISS in South Sudan and the apology by Ban Ki Moon on the twentieth commemoration of the Rwandan genocide in Kigali under the watch of UNAMIR. The UN Secretary General accepted that the UN mission in Rwanda did not do more to save genocide victims during the onslaught in 1994. This is an unfortunate apology because the same genocide is occurring in Darfur under the watch of the same world body but no one dares to acknowledge so. UNAMIR, UNAMID or UNMISS they all are UN missions of failure.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan under Hilde Johnson is also a cynical farce. This is what Arianne Quentere, the Mission’s spokesperson like Asha will tell the world later when it’s all over. These people just want to protect their livelihoods in the UN by not tell the truth that the Mission is failing in its duties to protect civilians in worst affect areas. Those who died in Akobo, Bor, Malakal and Bentiu should have not died if UNMISS was having steel teeth. We all knew the circumstances under which they died.
What was the response of Harve Ladsous, the head of UN Peace Keeping Operations to the damning disclosure?
It ran something like this; that the UNAMID in Darfur have been working under difficult conditions. That the government of Sudan has not been supportive enough of the UNAMID and that the Security Council did not act or respond in good time to correct the situation. This was after an insight truth telling that Ladsous accepts the failures of UNAMID after denials of that observation in the past.
This was in contrast to the same Ladsous who harshly criticised the government and the people of South Sudan when they expressed the same grievances as those expressed by Asha.
The conscience of those who went on strike against Hilde Johnson is clear. Though most if not all did not go through the Status of Forces Agreement, they knew that something was seriously amiss. Failure to protect civilians and involvement in the conflict itself are just too clear to anybody in the country. Keeping silent on certain events that affect the country like the December 2013 coup adds to the list.
South Sudanese are not sable rattlers but if push too far, they can act. The information coming to us is that those weapons are already released to the UNMISS. However, the government needs to inform those who went on demonstrations about the findings of the investigation by UN delegation from New York and its own findings. The UN is always talking about transparency and accountability. This is the time for both as a matter of demonstration to the people of this country.
The government has not been transparent and accountable to the people of this country on many occasions. I am not talking about the issues of corruption here but I am talking about issues of life and death. The Athor’s white helicopter was widely publicised during its capture. Months later it disappeared into thin air like the UN weapons including landmines that were released without a fluff up. The same applies to various criminals who are displayed on television on their arrest but disappear later under different circumstances.
Some of us South Sudanese are convinced that Hilde Johnson has lost the little credibility left after the events that happened in the country since independence. She, like Ibrahim Gambari has to move on for the UNMISS to rebuilt trust with South Sudanese under new management.
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